


Menagerie

by WritingCactus



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha Gabriel, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Beta Charlie Bradbury, Beta Jo, Dark, Dean is Bad at Feelings, Drugged Sex, Dubious Consent, F/F, Gender Roles, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Intersex Characters, John Winchester Being an Asshole, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Kidnapping, M/M, Nightmares, Objectification, Omega Castiel, Omega Sam, Panic Attacks, Rape/Non-con Elements, Repressed femininity, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Hatred, Sexism, Teacher Sam Winchester, a little bit of mpreg, but only for a second, just a tiny bit, mentions of rape/abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6237418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingCactus/pseuds/WritingCactus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam Winchester is forced out of his pack for being an omega along with his alpha brother, he finds out the world is a lot crueler to people like him, and that things aren't going to change by themselves. Fortunately, he doesn't have to fight for his freedom by himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Explanation

**Author's Note:**

> This au is a little complicated, so I thought it'd be good if I had kind of a reference chapter. If any of the information changes, I'll edit this chapter. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this work contains scenes of rape and sexual assault that were not handled as seriously as they should've been. I did not take the necessary care when handling these scenes when I wrote this, and I would like to come back now and both apologize and give a heads up about that, since I am not going to edit the actual fic at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I say male or female, I'm referring only to physical bodies, rather than gender identity. Of course, people can be male and identify as a girl, a boy, or literally any other identity.

    Shifters: Shifters are creatures that can take a human form or an animal form. There are many different types of shifters, from birds to snakes. Shifters can also take a "half-shifted" form, in which they have some aspects of their animal form, but not all. No matter what form they are in, they will be effected by the instincts of their animal forms, though these mostly tend to show themselves through displays of dominance or submission. Some shifters prefer to stay in their human form constantly, while some do the same with their animal forms or half-shifted forms. Because of this, there share both patches of dense forest and bustling city full of shifters.. Because they are partially human, it's not surprising that some shifters consider themselves to be better than others, mainly those who are consistently in human form. Shifters are usually social and stay in groups, though some prefer to be by themselves. While there are no humans who are just humans, quite a few animals are actually just animals. They are referred to as pure animals. Because all shifters have a distinct scent particular to them, it is possible to determine between shifters and actual animals. All shifters give off very strong pheromones, displaying the state they're in, or their instincts, such as the need to mate, happiness, or fear. If a shifter is in a weakened state, or being overwhelmed by emotions, it will be harder for them to hold a form that they are not in very often. For instance, a shifter that is usually in their animal form would not be able to hold their human form well when they are starving or drunk, among other things.

    Shifters, like humans, evolved from less adapted animals. However, instead of primates, the first shifters came from wolves. Of course, they did not become the shifters of today overnight. For decades of slow evolution, they were somewhere in between animal and something human. Throughout generations, shifters learned to change forms with ease, and slowly, other species of shifter evolved, so there are shifters of just about any species we know on earth.

    Designations: All shifters have a designation that is treated similarly to how we treat the human idea of gender, though that's a different concept. This determines what sexual organs they have and how they are treated by society. It is unclear exactly what a shifter's designations is until they present, which usually happens sometime between the ages of ten and eighteen, though presenting later or earlier is possible. There are signs that a shifter will present before it happens, such as moodiness and a sudden change in the individual's scent, so family members can gather to see the outcome. In the presentation itself, the shifter will show signs of submission, dominance, or both, depending on what they are. There are three possible designations: alpha, beta, and omega. This designation will determine how they are treated for the rest of their life.

    Alpha: If an alpha is a male, they will simply have male genitals. If an alpha is female, they will have their female genitals and male genitals. Regardless, the male genitals are always larger and much more prominent than anything else they have, and equipped with a knot. Alphas tend to be dominant and powerful, and are treated as such by society. They are idolized and celebrated immensely when they present, and are expected from that day onward to be confident and commanding, and absolutely never take no for an answer. They often hold positions of power in whatever society they are in, wether it's alpha of a pack in the wild or CEO of a company in the city. Alphas are extremely loved by everyone, and are basically considered the best at everything, regardless of their actual skill. (In comparison to human culture, think of a straight, cis, white guy with a lot of money, and that's how much privilege they have.)

    Beta: Betas are not intersex like female alphas or male omegas. They are just male or female. They are the most common designation, and are considered average. They hold middle positions in whatever they're doing. They're supposed to be more capable than omegas, but not as capable as alphas. If they are more powerful or talented than an alpha, and attract too much attention, they will most likely die of "mysterious causes" or end up in jail for a crime that they didn't commit. Because of their common designation, they are usually stereotyped as very average and boring.

    Omega: Omegas have whatever other organs they would have had, but with prominent female organs and smaller male organs. They are generally submissive, and are expected to be small and meek. If a shifter presents as an omega, they are shunned by almost everyone and their family is usually ashamed. They are seen as the worst thing to be, and hardly ever get any place in society besides at the very bottom. There are basically no laws that protect omegas, so most try and hide their designation as much as possible. They are often sold to rich alphas, and treated like objects in general. They are stereotyped as emotional and week, partially because they go into heats. (Omegas don't get periods, while betas do, because they have enough shit to deal with as it is. They don't need a week of hell on top of that.)

    For omegas and alphas, once they present, they will develop the additional genitalia that their designation has, or simply develop what they already have further. This usually happens sometime within a month of presenting, and over a period of about a week. While generally uncomfortable and strange, and often making the individual have pain in the lower back, headaches, cravings, and be unusually tired, these changes aren't ridiculously terrible. Imagine a not-as-bad puberty shortened to a week, without periods and acne, but with double the confusion (because sex ed in this universe is even worse than in ours), and that's what it's like. Also, shifters will emit extra strong pheromones while these changes are taking place, and their scent will match their designation more obviously afterwards.

    Heat: Omegas go into heat four to six times a year, the exact timing depending on what type of shifter they are. The first heat is usually very soon after an omega presents, and they are often irregular within the first two years of having them. They come on without warning, and usually last about a week, but it still depends on the type of shifter. Omegas have little to no control of their bodies and instincts at these times, so they are technically unable to give consent (not that the media acknowledges that at all.) If a partner takes care of the omega *cough cough* the heats will be less severe for about a day, before returning full force. These heats are an evolutionary tactic to increase reproduction. During them, omegas are extremely aroused almost constantly, and give off pheromones that are pleasant to betas and irresistible to alphas. These pheromones cannot be sensed by family members or other omegas. This is meant to lure an alpha into getting the omega pregnant as soon as possible. There are medications available that will cancel a heat, as well as medication that will keep an omega from getting pregnant regardless if they are in heat or not, much like human birth control (but a lot more effective, and you don't have to take it every day.) Also, there are perfumes that can help mask one's designation, but they are not as effective during heat. Heats are very dangerous for omegas, because it is nearly impossible for them to refuse anyone that tries anything on them, because of their biology makes it their first instinct to submit fully. 

    Mates: If two (or more) shifters both openly consent to being mates, and a mating mark (bite) is given to the submissive partner, they will be mates. This may not last longer than human dating or it may last for life. If a mated pair breaks up, the bite will fade in a few days. Mates will quickly start carrying each other's' scents with them showing them as taken. Unfortunately, because the only thing necessary is verbal consent, and not emotional willingness, shifters can be mates against one or both of the parties' wills. It's not uncommon for omega mates to be collared or shown off to other alphas, as a way to brag. The more omegas an alpha is mated to, the more respectable they are.

    Because different types of shifters can mate and reproduce together, hybrid shifters do exist, but they are rare. Unfortunately, giving birth to them is quite dangerous, so only families with enough money to pay expensive hospital bills are able to produce mixed shifters. Mixed shifters are also infertile, so there aren't genes from a bunch of species in one shifter.

    This next bit is just an explanation of exactly what animals the characters are, and a few reasons why. I'll add more of the characters when I figure out what they are/when they come into the story.

    Sam and Dean: Sam and Dean are wolves, specifically Eurasian Wolves. These wolves are larger than average, and found in (if you didn't already guess) Europe and Asia. I mainly chose this type of wolf because of their large size, and they also look different from your typical wolf in America. I chose wolves for Sam and Dean in general because wolves are very dependent on their packs and social structures, and Sam and Dean rely on each other heavily and work together with ease. Also, wolves are marvelous predators, and y'know, hunting and all that jazz.

    Castiel: Cas is a North American Crow, not only because of the bird's coloring, but also because of their massive intelligence. Crows are of the genus Corvid, and birds of that genus are considered to be about as smart as Dolphins and some great apes. They can use tools, make toys, and recognize human faces with ease. Plus, it just makes sense that Cas would be some type of bird, because he's an angel.  
P.S. Young crows also have blue eyes. 

    Gabriel: Gabriel, like Cas, is another intelligent bird, but not a Corvid. He's a Sun Conure, a type of parrot. Parrots are also quite smart, and are very social, particularly sun conures. They're also very noisy and boisterous, which makes sense for Gabriel.

    Bobby: Bobby is a bulldog. This is one reason he was initially friends with John Winchester, because of their similarity in species. He seems gruff and intimidating, but he will do anything to help the people he cares about, which always struck me as a very dogish trait.

Charlie: She's an Arabian Mau (a breed of cat).

Jo: Jo is an ocelot, which is a small wild cat.

Lucifer: Lucifer is a peregrien falcon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me at my tumblr here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/writing-cactus


	2. Chapter One

Sam had been showing signs of presenting for days, so the pack had plenty of time for preparations. He was presenting late, at 18. Dean had presented four years ago, when he was sixteen, and no one was surprised that he was an alpha. He wasn't quite as big as Sam, but everything about him had screamed alpha since he was four. He'd challenged their father, John Winchester, so strongly that a struggle for power had almost broken out.  
Sam stood in the living room of the pack's house, his entire family watching him, waiting. He breathed deeply, waiting for some primal instincts to kick in or something of the sort. Sure, he'd had his doubts, but there was no way he wasn't an alpha. He had to be; he was so big. He knew, deep down in his gut, that his father would never really forgive him if wasn't an alpha like Dean. He'd still treat him like his son, maybe, if he was a beta, but being an omega was out of the question. The Winchester pack needed hunters and fighters, not filthy omegas, as John would say. He was an alpha. He was an alpha. He was an alpha. He knew, if he believed it enough, his body would have to follow his lead. There was no other way.  
While he was thinking, he'd shifted halfway, brown ears peeking out from his hair and tail waving nervously behind him.  
Suddenly, his shoulders were shaking. His body seemed to be moving of its own accord. He felt his shoulders lowering, and, terror flashing through him, fought to stand up tall. No no no no. There was no way he was submitting. There was no way his ears were lowering back against his head. There was no way that his tail was between his legs. No way that he was bowing to his father, the pack alpha. Every inch of Sam's body shook, as he willed himself to stand up, to fight, to do something besides just stand there, submission in every inch of his posture.  
God, he could hear them. Here the rest of the pack gasping and muttering. He swore he heard his mother let out a small sob. And suddenly, he was slammed back against the wall, his head hitting the wood harshly.

\----------------------------------------------

Sam ran, his feet hitting the forest ground beneath him sharply with each step. In a flash, he shifted all the way, knowing his wolf form would take him away faster. He could hear paws thundering behind him, and could smell the scent of the fury of his pack filling the air. Run.  
If he just kept running, he could make it out of the packs' territory, to where they couldn't follow him. He felt his dark brown fur catching twigs and brambles as he fled, but he didn't dare slow down.  
He'd only escaped his father's furious grip because Dean had ripped him off of him, giving him time to flee. Sam hadn't even hesitated. He didn't know where he would go, but he knew he couldn't stay there. He would have been treated as a punching bag by the pack, or sold off to some wealthy, probably older alpha. Or, he could hardly bear to think it, been given to his alpha cousins in the pack.  
Out of nowhere, he heard heavy paw-steps approaching from his right, followed by a familiar scent. Dean. What could his brother be doing? Hunting him down to return him to the pack and be praised for it? He thought himself, but didn't have time to change his panicked course before Dean's lighter brown form came bounding over a nearby log and joined his, green eyes flashing. To Sam's surprise, he didn't attack him, but simply ran beside him. Sam was almost afraid to hope that maybe Dean was on his side. Even if John was the pack alpha, many of the wolves had immense respect for Dean, and would probably hesitate to attack him.  
Sam caught the scent of the border between their pack's land and their rivals' territory, and forced his straining legs to move faster. The sprinted up a hill, and then the riverbank was ahead of them, with a few leftover hunks of ice covering the water from the previous winter. Dean shot ahead, leaping across the riverside border and onto a piece of ice, before turning to watch Sam cross. He made it in one jump, before diving into the next block as he heard the rest of the pack getting closer very quickly. They made it to the other side, not even pausing before dashing into the forest again. Sam could hear his father howling behind them, his hostility clear as the rest of the pack joined him.

___________________________  
They were into unknown territory by the time they finally stopped running, resting on an outcrop of rocks. Dean shifted back to his human form, and Sam followed his lead. Silence filled the air between them. Finally, Dean decided to address what had just happened. "So, who would've guessed it. Someone your size can be an omega."  
Sam just shook his head, trying to process what had just happened.  
"Why'd you come with me, anyway? You could probably have gotten off for pushing dad away, but there's no way they're letting you back in now that you've crossed the border."

Dean sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, you're my little brother. I wasn't just gonna let you run off on your own. Especially since..." He didn't need to say, "because your an omega" for Sam to get the point, loud and clear.  
Oh god, things were going to be different for him from now on. He was an omega. How the hell was he going to deal with his heats? Or get a job? Or not get mugged, or sold, or killed. Trying to calm himself, he continued the conversation. "Well, thanks for that. I probably wouldn't be able to get far on my own..." There it was again. The reminder that everything was a whole lot harder now  
"I'd been wanting to go out and make my own way, anyway. Besides, you're my responsibility, even if you can take care of yourself pretty damn well." Dean assured him.  
It was true. Their father had never exactly been an A+ parent, and their mother had been busy taking care of all their cousins. Dean had always been the one to watch out for him and teach him.  
When he was eight, he'd watched a news program about missing and brutally murdered omegas, and when he'd gotten scared out of his mind, Dean had convinced him that the pack would always protect him and keep him safe. When he was fourteen, he wasn't remotely interested the poor omega girl that went into heat in class (she made it home okay, thankfully), some of his classmates had accused Sam of secretly being an omega himself, and spread the rumor around the whole school. When Dean noticed people laughing when his little brother walked by, he nearly got expelled for threatening the boys who'd started it. When he was seventeen, and and still hadn't presented, Dean had done research (which he absolutely loathed) to find a list of famous shifters, all of whom presented late. Dean wouldn't let him get hurt, even if he was an omega.  
"So, do you have any idea of where to go?" Deans question jolted Sam out his thoughts.  
"Uhmmmm... Not really? I kind of just panicked. We should probably get some supplies and a map to start out with, and we can figure it out from there."  
"Sounds good to me." His brother stood up and stretched, as Sam clambered to his feet. They decided it'd be best to show up in more civilized areas in fully-human form, and they set off.

___________________________  
An hour and a half later, they had found a small town, bought supplies from a small gas station (including heat prevention medication), and were eating dinner in a crappy diner. Every time he caught even the faintest scent of an alpha, Sam immediately tensed up, terrified that someone would recognize his designation and take advantage of it. Dean seemed to notice, because he kept trying to lighten the mood by making more crappy jokes than usual, but that did nothing to lift Sam's spirits.  
Finally, by the time Dean had finished scarfing his sausage, Sam had come up with at least the start of a plan.  
"So, we can't exactly stay in the area. Everyone around here knows us, and there isn't any land that we could live on. I say we keep going West. If we go far enough, we could find some open territory. Of course, we'll probably have to go through a lot of already occupied areas, and some bigger cities on our way. Sound like a plan?"  
Dean nodded, pulling out a map. "Y'know what, Sammy, I bet we might even be able to pick up some chicks along the way. " Sam rolled his eyes at his brothers exaggerated wink, but he knew Dean was only half joking. Most alphas were delivered mates as soon as they presented, and it was unusual for an alpha as old as him to not have at least a semi-permanent mate. Plus, if Sam found a decent shifter to mate with, his chances of being attacked lessened a lot. No one wanted to mess with a possessive alpha, no matter what.  
__________________________  
They left the diner soon afterwards, and started following the map West. They walked until the sun set , before sleeping in wolf form under a large tree. Early the next morning. Sam awoke to a distant rustling. He sat up, sitting completely still as he tried to pinpoint where it was coming front. Then, in a flash, he felt something heavy land on his back, heard Dean growl, and everything faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this there's the first chapter! This will probably get kind of dark at some point, and there are definitely mentions of rape and abuse, but it won't be all angst, I promise. All comments are very appreciated, and constructive criticism is encouraged. Thank you, and have a wonderful day/night!


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating now instead of later because I will be leaving on Friday and not back until Wednesday, so I won't be able to post.

Sam groaned, rolling onto his side. His entire body ached, and he had to struggle just to open his eyes. Ugh. It was too goddamn bright in here. He could feel cool metal under his hands as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Where the hell was he? With his eyes still scrunched tightly shut, he shifted fully into wolf form, before scenting the air. Dean was nearby, but besides him, Sam could smell nothing else but cool metal and decaying leaves. Finally, he managed to open his eyes all the way, finding himself in a cage. Through the bars he could see leaves littering the floor, and Dean in another cage a few feet away from him, in half form. Beyond him he could see crumbling wooden walls, water slowly trickling down their surface.  
He shivered, involuntary shifting back into his half-form. How did they get here? His head felt clouded and his stomach was churning. His ears twitched, trying to pick up any sound beside the drip-drip-drip of the water from the walls.  
         "Dean?" He croaked, feeling as though he might throw up. He heard his brother shuffle slightly and groan.  
             "Sammy? What's going on?" Sam flinched, his brother's voice coming out way too loud.  
   "Don't be so loud!" He hissed, rubbing at the canine ears he still couldn't get to go away. "All I remember is that we were in the woods... And I heard something, I think."  
         Dean groaned again, before responding. "Oh yeah. I saw something tackle you when I woke up, but that's all I can remember. I can't smell anyone else nearby, for now at least." He sounded tired and annoyed, but he felt better knowing at least a little of what was happening.  
         After a moment of trying to figure out exactly what had happened after that, a horrible, gnawing thought entered Sam's mind.  
     "Dean, what if they're breeders?" Sam had heard the stories, heard older pack members whisper about the breeders. Unmated omegas went missing more frequently than any one was willing to admit, and, over the years, rumors had been started about where the they went. Alphas joked about the breeders, about how they supposedly stole omegas in the night, before training them and delivering them in groups to wealthy alphas. Omegas being given to alphas wasn't uncommon, to keep the peace or to pay off debt, but it was the training that kept Sam up at night. According to a news report, missing omegas were often found dead, after being forced into constant heats, and, more often than not, impregnated. What's worse, if the rumors were true, those who survived were given an even worse fate. They were sold, for low prices, to the alphas that even the most desperate family wouldn't dare sell their child to. The ones that were so old, so corrupt, and simply so cruel that they wouldn't get omegas any other way.  
        "That's not possible. Those are just stories made up to scare omegas into staying put. We probably just trespassed on some pack's territory, that's all." Dean assured him, and Sam realized he'd been shaking slightly.  
"Well, let's just get out of here anyway. We don't want trouble." Sam knew he and Dean were more than capable of taking care of themselves, especially working in a team, but their strength wouldn't do much for them when they were injured. He watched as Dean picked the heavy-duty lock on his cage, before cautiously stepping out and approaching his.  
When his door swung open, Sam stood up shakily, his legs sore like he'd run a marathon the day before. He managed to catch up to Dean, who had found a rickety staircase leading out of what Sam assumed must be a cellar. Dean signaled for him to be quite, and they crept up the stairs until they reached a shabby door. He slowly pushed it open so it didn't creak, and Sam almost gagged when the smell hit him. Coyote.  
Never, under any circumstances, did wolves and coyotes get along. Coyotes had a tendency to scavengeoff of wolves' achievements, whether that was money or fame, it didn't matter; and wolves would often kill innocent coyotes out of spite.  
          Though wolves were generally stronger and bigger than coyotes, Sam could smell at least ten of them, and there was no way he and Dean could take on that many of them alone. He could also smell the unmistakeable smell of rancid, rotting meat, but he couldn't determine if it was shifter or just plain animal. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know the answer at this point.  
            Dean ushered him forward, and he stepped carefully over any boards that looked loose, ears swiveling from side to side to detect anyone approaching them. The rest of the house wasn't in a much better state than the basement, with junk heaped everywhere and paint peeling down the walls.  
          He froze when he heard a rough voice from his left, mumbling something he couldn't quite understand. His heart began to race as the voice drew closer, and, ever so carefully, he turned into the room next to them, Dean right behind him. He heard the footsteps shuffle about more, into the hallway they'd just been in, before fading away again. Sam let go of the breath he'd been holding, before he noticed the door on the other side of the room. Even though the window was boarded, he could see sunlight through the cracks. He counted to ten, to make sure no one else was coming, before he began moving towards the door.  
            Halfway across the room, he heard the clanging of metal and Dean cursing. He turned to see that his brother had knocked over a chest-high stack of pans and skillets. A chorus of yells resounded from the house, and he dashed towards the door, yanking on the handle. He could tell it wasn't locked, but it was definitely stuck. He desperately pulled at it, able to smell the fury rolling off the coyotes as they drew closer.  Just as the first one dashed into the room, he jerked the door open and dashed madly  into the forest.  
          He tried shifting into his wolf form, but was still stuck half-shifted. Dean ran up next to him, not able to shift fully either. They could hear the yells and barks of the pack behind them, drawing closer way too fast for Sam's liking.  
Where the hell were they? Sam didn't recognize any of the landmarks they passed, and couldn't smell any of the familiar scents that surrounded their old territory. God, they weren't moving nearly fast enough, he could feel the coyote pack behind them. Desperate, he darted to the right, successfully slowing down the coyotes, if only for a second. Dean looked as panicked beside him, growling in frustration.  
          Suddenly, he caught the scent of gasoline, burgers, and other shifters. A lot of other shifters, so many that he couldn't differentiate one scent from another. That had to be a city. He turned in the direction of the smell. If they got into the city, their attackers would probably give up on hunting them. He heard paws beating the ground in a frenzy just behind him, felt claws rake down his side, and then they broke through the trees and into a road. Despite the sharp pain from the scratch, he didn't slow down, hurtling across the road and into a throng of shifters. 

            After running for another few minutes, just to be safe, they stopped in a grimy alleyway. Sam panted heavily, adrenaline still coursing through his veins like lightning. He wished he'd been able to walk through the city slowly, taking in the sights. He'd only been in a real bustling city twice, the first time when he was very little and very sick, and about a year ago, to ask a professional about his late presentation. His pack had been able to get almost everything they needed from the woods around them, and anything else from a little town only an hour's drive away.  
             Without warning, he felt a wave of dizziness roll over him, and he slid down the brick wall behind him. He heard Dean call his name, panic in his voice, before the world unfocused and his eyes slid shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I would like to mention that I will be updating the very first chapter quite a bit, as I work out the specific details of this world. I'll probably say it in the notes when I do, so please try and check that hen I mention it. It will make things a lot easier to understand. Thanks!


	4. Chapter Three

       "He'll be alright, just make sure he doesn't overexert himself, okay?"   
     Sam tugged the soft blanket closer around him, grumbling. He felt more rested and relaxed than he had in days, tuning out the unfamiliar voice that was still babbling in the background. He could hear a beeping noise from beside him, growing more and more aggravating with each passing minute.   
            Finally, giving up on going back to sleep entirely, he yawned, forcing his eyes open. Once he could focus, he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. Wait, where was he? He sat up, looking around and taking in his surroundings. It was quickly apparent that he was in a hospital from everything around him. Everything was a clean white, with a few beeping machines squashed next to the cheap bed he was lying in. On his other side was Dean, sitting a chair, talking to who he assumed was a doctor.   
           Since they hadn't noticed he was awake yet, Sam decided to get their attention so he could find out what exactly was going on. He cleared his throat loudly, causing both men to jump and turntowards him, Dean's face lighting up with a grin when he saw that he was awake.  
          "Sammy, you're up! How're you feeling?" His brother questioned, worry flashing over his face, before he composed himself again.  
         "I'm fine, Dean. What happened?"  
He remembered escaping from the coyotes, and making it into the city, but everything went dark just after that.  
        The doctor stepped forward, clipboard in hand. "Your brother says a coyote got a hold of you and gave you that nasty scratch." Sam looked down at his chest, which was wrapped with bandages. "On top of that, you and your brother had been knocked out previously, and both suffered minor concussions. You should be back to your full health in a week at most, but until then, you need to take it easy. No lifting objects over ten pounds, and no running. It'd be best if you stayed in the city until you're fully healed. I'm sure there are plenty of vacant hotel rooms that you could stay in."  
            Sam considered what the consequences would be if he didn't follow the doctor's instructions.If they moved on, they'd have to go slowly, and wouldn't be able to hold off any more attackers; if they stayed in this city, they'd have time to rest and heal, but he'd have to adjust to his omega status with thousands of other shifters around him, which would be terrifying and dangerous...  
         He sighed, knowing that he'd have to face his fears. "We'll stay. Thank you, doctor. Um, how much do we owe you?" He questioned, dreading the surely expensive hospital bill. Now that he thought about it, they'd only had the money in their pockets and their phones when they ran away, and they'd spent all of that on food.  
      "You boys are in luck. It just so happens that there are a few wealthy alphas living nearby, and they consistently try to one-up each other by showcasing just how charitable they are in front of the media. One of them recently donated quite a lot of money to the hospital, so we can let you go free of charge."   
        Before Sam and Dean could thank him, the doctor leaned in close between them and whispered, so they both could hear, "If you ask me, those alphas put quite a few of our patients in here in the first place." He gave Sam a pointed look as he continued, "Particularly the omegas. Id just find a hotel and stay out of trouble while you're here." He leaned back and brushed of his jacket, continuing casually as if nothing had happened.   
      "Now, you should go get yourselves a hotel room. Your phones are being kept up at the front desk. Oh, and Sam, your clothes are on that table over there, just out of the dryer. You might not wanna walk around town in just that hospital gown."  
         Sam blushed, grabbing his clothes before ushering the others out so he could change. He was careful about moving his upper body, especially after a flash of pain seared through him when he tried to lift the gown off over his head. Though the gash he'd received was fully bandaged, he noticed some other, smaller scratches littering his chest and arms, which might scar.  
           As he left the room and walked towards the receptionist's desk to meet Dean, he mulled over the doctor's words in his mind. How many alphas were there? And did the injured omegas belong (Sam felt his stomach churn at the word) to the alphas, or were they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? He ended up taking a longer route to the entrance of the hospital, avoiding the corridors that smelled strongly of alpha, even as he felt guilty about being so cowardly.  
    
          Soon, he and Dean had checked out of the hospital, free of charge as promised, they were back into the noisy city. Sam was in awe of all the massive buildings, and by the sheer number of shifters everywhere. Most of them were in human form, but here and there he saw a flash of feathers or the silky gleam of fur.  
            He did his best not to stand out from the crowd, slouching and keeping his head down so he wasn't quite as tall. He knew, even with his status, people would still be intimidated by him until they realized he was an omega. His scent wouldn't change immediately, so he could still pass as a beta or unpresented for a little bit. It still hasn't sunk in fully that most people wouldn't treat him like a person anymore.  
           Dean soon spotted a decent looking hotel with a vacancy sign. Before he could tell Dean, his brother was already asking for a room with two twin beds they could stay in for a week. When the receptionist asked them to pay, Dean turned to Sam, assuming he had some money left. He just shook his head, feeling sheepish and desperately trying to think of somewhere else they could sleep that night.  
Dean turned back to the receptionist, looking embarrassed. "Um, we don't exactly have any money... Is there any other way we could pay?"  
The young lady behind the desk sighed, looking thoughtful. Sam realized she was a beta, then immediately felt guilty about reading her designation without her permission. Sure, it wasn't frowned upon to do so, and it was difficult not too, but he still felt bad for intruding on her privacy.  
Finally, the woman smiled warmly at them. "Well, we do have some maintenance problems around here. It would be great if you boys could fix those up during your stay. Come and talk about it with me, I'm here all day tomorrow. For now, though, go get yourselves settled in. You both look like you could use a little rest."  
They thanked her sincerely, before going up to their room. It was small, with a few suspicious stains on the wall, but it was pretty nice, especially for un-paying customers. Of course, they didn't have anything to a unpack, as they had next to no belongings. So, after Sam's urging that they needed to get him heat medication and food, they went down to the shops that were squashed together on the streets below to restock.  
Soon enough, they had bought a few pairs of clothes each, a bit of food, toiletries, ( Dean had just glowered at the store owners until they offered the items for free, which they both felt guilty about later) and had found a pharmacy for Sam. It was a little shop, with only a few racks of stuff, and a small counter. After a moment of browsing, Sam realized the heat suppressants might be sold over the counter in a big city like this. The old man behind the desk was friendly enough, and made small talk with him while his assistant went to get the medicine. The man said they'd ordered too many suppressants anyway, so Sam could have his for free. He couldn't believe his luck. He thanked the old man heartily, and gestured to Dean before walking out the door, feeling more confident now.  
Unfortunately, he tripped over a step, and fell right on top of something.  
Well, someone.   
Someone who was, unmistakably, an alpha.

Well, there's chapter three! Not a lot of action happened, but I promise things will pick up in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've realized thst most of the tags are for things in later chapters I've already written, or are just implied. As the story progresses, it will get darker. I was initially planning on making the just a quick thing, it's probably going to end up a lot longer than expected. So, keep reading!


	5. Chapter Four

        Sam felt his heart jump as the alpha shoved him off as he stood up, before grabbing Sam by the front of his shirt and yanking him upright. Oh shit. The alpha was huge, much bigger than even Sam, and really, really pissed.   
"Watch where you're going you little-" the alpha growled, before breaking into a sneer, "...omega."  
Oh shit oh shit oh shit. The alpha dropped Sam, and rose to his full height, head held high in an obvious dominant stance. God, he was so screwed.  Shit.  
"What do you think you're doing, bitch?" The alpha- Sam took a deep breath, and it was obvious that he was a grizzly bear- snarled with malice in his voice, and an undercurrent of lust that made Sam shudder. Instinctively, Sam felt his shoulders slump in submission and fear, but he managed to keep his head up. Where was Dean? They might be able to take this guy together, but alone, despite the fact that he was skilled at hand to hand combat from fighting with the pack, he was screwed. He glanced around, and saw his brother squaring up against two of the alpha's cronies. They were just as big as the guy in front of Sam, and obviously also alphas. Dean was furious, and if Sam didn't know him, he would have honestly been frightened by just how dangerous he looked. Unfortunately, the big alphas were not impressed, and continued to keep him from getting to his little brother.   
           The grizzly took advantage of his distraction to grab him and throw him over his shoulder. He froze, caught off guard, before disgust shot through him.  He twisted, growling deep in his throat, kneeing the guy in the nose, smiling him drop him instantly. He groaned, landing heavily on his side, right where he'd been scratched. The alpha, now with an obviously broken nose, roared. "You filthy little bitch. Mind your place!"  
Sam pushed himself up to his feet, noticing that Dean had tackled one of the other alphas and was rolling with him on the ground. He turned back to the grizzly, having to duck immediately when a fist came flying towards his face. He ducked, before shooting up and hitting his opponent in the side of the face. For just a second, he thought they might be winning.   
But that was before the third bear crashed into his side, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground. He heard Dean grunt, and saw his face hit the pavement to his right. He caught sight of feet walking past them. They must be too scared to help. He tuned out the Alpha's words, defeat settling in his stomach. These alphas were going to kill Dean, take him to their house, and train him. And none of these shifters would even try to stop them. He felt bile rise in his throat just at the thought, and, even though he hated to admit it, he was scared. He closed his eyes, hoping he would just wake up and it all would have been a dream.  
Then, without warning, he felt the form crushing him gone, and heard one of the bears cry out in pain. His eyes flew open to see a flurry of feathers and movement. He felt a flash of adrenaline shoot through him, and he jumped up to see Dean elbow the alpha who'd been on top of him in the ribs. He sensed someone coming at him from behind, and turned, letting his claws come out and striking his attacker square across the chest. While the bear was keeled over in pain, he took in what was happening: Dean was viciously punching and tearing at the alpha he'd tackled, and he spun towards the main alpha to see an unfamiliar figure darting around, throwing lightening-fast punches at the grizzly bear. The guy (he thought it was a guy, anyway) was moving too fast for Sam to get a good look at him. The only details he could grasp were splotches of yellow, orange, green, and turquoise. The shifter must have claws of some sort, he concluded, because the alpha was now covered with deep, bloody scratches.   
   The alpha he'd been fighting had recovered from his scratch, and lumbered toward him. He blocked a blow to his head, but was caught off guard by the uppercut the other man threw. It hit him hard and he stumbled, before regaining his footing and turning to throw another punch. Before he could, however, another figure jumped onto the alpha's back, making him roar and scratch desperately at his shoulders.  
        Sam couldn't see this person well either, but he did notice that a few trailing  ink-black feathers were falling onto the cracked sidewalk beneath them.  The figure cracked their fist on top of the bear's head, effectively knocking him out. Before Sam could thank him, he'd rushed off to pull Dean off the other alpha, who he'd almost beaten to death at this point. Once he was on his feet, his brother turned and gave him a thumbs up, smiling with blood on his face. Sam grinned back, glad they were both alright.   
             Sam nodded in return, before moving so he could get a better look at the shifter who was attacking the main alpha. He considered jumping in to help, but he seemed to have things under control. After landing one more blow to the grizzly's face, he stepped back as if to admire his work. Now that he wasn't moving quite so fast, Sam could see that the guy was an avian, with enormous, magnificent wings sprouting from just behind his shoulders. They were a bright yellow closer to his back, then spotted with green in the middle, and the tips were a beautiful shade of deep turquoise. He glanced in Sam's direction, and whoa. His eyes were a surprising brown-gold, and seemed to be laced with power.   
The shifter stepped towards the grizzly, who took a step back in turn, clutching at his bloody face. He growled as his opponent, who opened opened his massive wings all the way, spreading them out in a dominant display. Oh, so this guy is definitely an alpha. Said alpha smirked at the bear, who didn't even try to square up against him.  
"Get your cronies and get out of here." The bird shifter ordered, voice full of authority and confidence. "Oh, and mind your place, ass-hat."   
The grizzly, obviously ashamed but trying to still look dignified, picked himself up and dragged the other two bears away with him, not meeting the eyes of any of spectators that had gathered. Sam turned as Dean walked towards him, blood dripping from his nose.  
"You okay?" It was a simple question, but Sam knew Dean was asking less about his physical state and more about what the alpha had said.   
         He just smiled, nodding. "You almost killed that guy, Dean." Sure, those shifters were absolute douchebags, but that didn't mean they deserved to die.  
Before Dean could respond, a deep voice interrupted them from behind. "I had to stop you from breaking his neck." Sam wheeled to see the figure that had pulled Dean off Dean earlier behind him. This shifter was also a bird, but very different from the alpha. He had piercing blue eyes, messy black hair, and huge, black wings, in which Sam thought he could see hints of dark blue, but he couldn't be quite sure. He was also wearing a slightly dirty trench coat, even though it was a warm day.   
Dean looked the guy up and down too before responding. "I was going to stop anyway. But thanks, I guess. We wouldn't want to deal with the legal trouble." The boy just nodded in response, before the winged alpha from before joined them and slung his arm around the other unfamiliar shifter, ruffling his hair.   
"Are you two okay?" He asked casually, as if nothing even remotely interesting had just happened.   
Sam nodded. "Just a few bruises and scrapes, nothing we can't handle. How about you guys?" Both of the birds nodded, before the shorter one spoke up again.   
"We can help you out with that. We've got some medical supplies at our place. And food, if you're hungry." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a shiny red lollipop, tearing off the wrapper and sticking it in his mouth. "So, how 'bout it?" He asked around the candy.   
Sam turned to Dean, who just shrugged and nodded. "Sure, why not? We haven't got anything better to do."  
The alpha grinned, before turning swiftly and gesturing for them to follow. He'd only walked a few paces, however, before he wheeled around again, and to his great surprise, offered his hand to Sam.   
"I forgot to ask earlier. Who's asses did we just save?"   
Dean huffed, but Sam just smiled. "I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother, Dean. Now, who just saved our asses?"  
The alpha took Sam's hand, shaking it heartily. "My name's Gabriel Novak, but Gabe works just fine." The other shifter stepped forward, solemnly offering his hand. "I'm Castiel, his brother. It's a pleasure to meet you both."  
Gabriel clapped his hands together, turning to lead the way once more. "Well, let's get going. It takes a while to get from here to our house, so we should get moving. And don't straggle, 'cause I'm not dragging anyone's ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! I updated the explanation, by the way, so I'd check that out. Thanks!


	6. Chapter Five

Though it was a long walk to  Castiel and Gabe's home, it didn't seem like more than five minutes before they reached a big brick house with an overgrown garden. There were vines creeping up the walls, and a few brambles littering the path up to the door.  
        Castiel let them in, and they made themselves comfortable in the kitchen, sitting by big windows that let sunlight stream in and fill the room. The inside of the house was big and nice, but dusty and a few boxes were scattered here and there. Gabriel rummaged through some drawers near by, before pulling out a little first aid kit.  
A somewhat awkward silence filled the room as the brothers patched up Sam and Dean. It wasn't a hard job as they were mostly just bruised and scratched a bit. Sam tried to calm his nerves, but he was worried about being in an unfamiliar house with unfamiliar people. They just saved you. Be polite. He told himself, feeling guilty at his cautiousness.   
           "Um, I don't mean to pry, but... you guys are brothers, so why do your wings look so different?" He asked, trying to start a somewhat decent conversation.  
         Gabriel turned from where he had been sticking some band aids on Sam's arm (he was pretty sure he didn't need any more band aids, but the guy was trying to be helpful) and glanced at Castiel.   
         "Well, we're not actually brothers. Not biologically, anyway. It's kind of a long story, though. You sure you wanna hear it?"  
         When both Sam sand Dean nodded, he continued. "Cassie had some different experiences than me, but I'll just explain what I was there for. When I was little-like, really little- I ended up with these people. I don't know how I got with them. I can't  remember anything from before that, but there I was. They had a whole bunch of alpha shifters, of all ages, and they started teaching us how to fight. At first, I thought I'd been chosen to be part of a secret superhero organization or something." He laughed, rolling his eyes. "You know how kids are. Well, that only lasted until I saw the fights. In grimy rings, alphas were pitted against each other, with no mercy. We were told that, if we won enough fights, killed enough shifters, we would be able to go free, but they were just using us to make money. People would bet on who would win. We were treated like wild animals, it was terrible. Occasionally, they'd bring in omegas, and throw them at the older alphas. I'm just glad I never saw what happened after that. I lived there for about two years, but I escaped just before my first fight, not before I had to watch half of my friends get torn to pieces." He spoke casually, but the energy with which he'd talked earlier wasn't there anymore.  
           Castiel stood from where he'd been bandaging Dean, walking over to the cabinets to pull out a skillet.   
         "Gabriel, I'll tell my part if the story if you'll move your ass and help me make some food."  Sam couldn't help but chuckle at that, while Dean broke out laughing. Gabe nodded, pulling some food out of the fridge.   
        While turning on the stove and preparing the skillet, Castiel began telling his section. Sam couldn't help but notice the way he suddenly wouldn't look anywhere but at his own hands. "My parents were very poor, but they had just enough money to enter me into an auction. I was bought by a... corporation, of sorts, that specialized in "taming omegas," as they put it. They went easy on us at first, making us learn to clean and cook." He paused for a second, and Sam thought he saw him glance nervously at Dean. " I didn't know it myself at the time, but they'd somehow figured out I was an omega. It wasn't long before the obedience training started. We learned to keep our heads down, our mouths shut, and do what we were told, no matter what it was. I was too young to know that that wasn't how things were supposed to be, so I went along with it. I just did whatever they told me, without ever questioning it. I was a model bitch" he slammed the skillet down on the stove a little too hard as he spat the word out- "and I was very close to being sold. There was a buyer lined up already, to take a group of us. However, an older omega had escaped from their owner and managed to come back and warn us. She managed to get pass the security and tell us enough so that we were scared and angry, before the guards caught up to her. She was killed in the spot, but a lot of us, enough to disrupt their system just a little, made it out. I wound up on the streets for a few months, before I found Gabriel. He was good at stealing and breaking in already, and I was a quick learner. We managed to scrape by, and go unnoticed by the authorities. We came here about three months ago, and I managed to get a job to pay for this house. We've been living here since then." While he'd been talking, Gabe had brought Cas some bread and cheese from the fridge, and he'd started making grilled cheese.  
Gabriel leaned against the counter, eyeing Sam and Dean. "So, now that you both our entire life stories, how'd you two wind up here? Feel free to overshare as much as we did."  
Sam coughed, trying to think of how to explain what had happened while not sounding like a coward. "Well... a few days ago, I, uh, presented." He scratched at his neck, slightly embarrassed about presenting so late. "Turns out my dad wasn't hoping for an omega. So I ran, and Dean came with me. We had some trouble with coyotes, but we made into the city. We're staying in a hotel downtown for a week before we hit the road again."   
Gabe looked up, surprised. "You're leaving town that soon, then?"  
Dean nodded. "We're trying to get farther away from our pack before we stop moving again, they could still follow our scent."  
"Might as well make your time here worthwhile if it's so short, huh?Would you mind if we showed you some of the cool places in the city tomorrow? I promise it'll be worth your time. How 'bout it?" He asked.  
Sam turned to Dean, who just shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Sammy?"  
Sam nodded. "We're busy in the morning, though. We've got to help out around the hotel we're staying at, since we're broke.  
Castiel, who'd finished making the sandwiches, tossed them onto plates and brought them over. "That sounds quite nice. Could we have the address of your hotel so we can pick you up when you're ready?"  
"Yeah, here. Oh, and that's my phone number, so we can be in touch." Sam jotted the information down on a loose piece of paper before passing it to Castiel. Once it was carefully tucked into the bird's pocket, he grabbed a grilled cheese and dug in. The room fell quiet once more as they all ate.  
Dean finished first, probably because he'd shoved basically the entire sandwich into his mouth at once, like usual. He wiped his face, clearing his throat. "So... What are you guys? I mean, you're birds, obviously, but what kind?" He asked.  
Gabe swallowed his last bite of food before responding. "I'm a sun conure, which is a type of parrot, and Cas is a crow. And you two are..." He took a deep breath, scenting the air, "dogs?"  
Sam laughed. "Almost. Wolves. I mentioned it before, but we had a pretty big pack back home."  
"Was someone the leader? I've heard wolves generally have one or two people control the pack, but I never could figure out if that was just a rumor or not. Am I right?"  
Dean nodded, standing and stretching. "The whole pack thing is true. Our dad was the leader of ours. Most packs are just immediate family and mates, but our cousins were part of ours too. We all had to live in one big house, which was pretty overcrowded. It made getting privacy really hard. I've walked in on him" -he gestured at Sam-"singing terrible pop songs more then once."   
"That is not true!" Sam exclaimed, punching Dean in the arm as Castiel and Gabriel cracked up. "Once, I was going through his stuff, and I found-mph!" Dean had dived over and covered his mouth with his hand.   
"Nothing interesting, I'm sure!" He yelled, obviously embarrassed. Sam shoved his brother off of him, trying not to laugh.  
"Anyway, it wasn't fun." He finished, glaring at Dean mockingly.   
Gabriel chuckled. "It doesn't sound like it. Do you know where you're headed?"   
       "We're going west until we can find our own territory."  
"Did you say you didn't have any money? You'll probably need some of that to get anywhere." Castiel added, stifling a smile of his own.  
       Dean scratched the back of his neck, looking guilty. "Well... We haven't exactly been using the most moral ways to get supplies. Oh yeah, Sam, we've got everything we need, right?" He looked at him pointedly, so he rolled his eyes and nodded. Gabe glanced over at Castiel, asking him something silently.   
       When his brother nodded, he turned to Sam and Dean. "We could give you some spare cash, if you'd except it."  
         "Are you sure?" He asked, not wanting to take their money if they were just being polite and not really offering. Castiel nodded, opening a cabinet and pulling out a small wad of bills. "We make enough money to have enough to spare a hundred dollars or so. Here-" He placed the money in Dean's hand- "that should be enough to get you pretty far."  
       "Thank you. Both of you. We would've been in serious trouble if you guys hadn't stepped in."  
       Gabe shrugged it off. "No problem. Those dickbag alphas cause trouble sometimes, but they're pretty easy to handle. If you run into any more problems stinking of testosterone, we're happy to help." He led them out to the front door, before clapping Sam on the back. "Well, you should probably go get some rest or something. We'll make sure you have a busy day tomorrow, for sure. See you in the morning, if you haven't managed to get yourselves killed by then."   
      Sam laughed, bidding the brothers goodbye before walking out into the warm spring air. He breathed in deeply, smelling the sun warmed-dirt. He hoped they'd see a lot more of Castiel and Gabriel. Dean dragged him along, pulling him from his reverie and teasing him about "daydreaming", but Sam swore he saw his brother smiling as well.


	7. Chapter Six

After talking to the kindly receptionist, Sam and Dean began to fix a few of the appliances around the hotel. There wasn't too much to do, so it was only evening when they finished up. When they went to tell the receptionist that they were finished, they found her asleep at her desk. Quietly, Sam pulled some of the money Gabe and Castiel had given them out of his pocket, and placed it on the rough wood.  
        They ate dinner at some cheap burger place, before heading back to the hotel to go to bed. Sam curled up under the blankets, suddenly more tired than he's been in years. He found himself looking forward to seeing the Novaks again as sleep quickly overtook him.

             He had dreams he couldn't quite recall, and only woke when Dean started hitting him in the face with a pillow.  
       "Dude! What the hell?" He yelled through a face full of feathers, grabbing at the pillow in his brother's hands. Dean just laughed, letting go of it and making him crash back into the mattress. Ignoring his jerk brother, who was still laughing his ass off, he got up and hurriedly threw on some clothes. They left their room and went down to the breakfast buffet. Sam piled bacon, sausage and eggs on his plate, with nothing else. He usually tried to eat healthier, but he couldn't bring himself to give a shit about that at the moment. He pretended to ignore Dean looking at him like he grew a second head as he sat down, grabbing a fork and scarfing down his food. Dean pulled out his phone, typing quickly before looking up.  
"Gabe and Cas are going to meet us here in 20 minutes. You might wanna eat a little faster." He added sarcastically, and Sam just glared, looking down at his now empty plate. He continued glaring until the Novaks arrived, at which point he got up and walked hurriedly  out the door, suddenly feeling excited and giddy. Dean walked up behind him, waving as the winged shifters crossed the street towards them.  
When they got within about three feet, Gabriel stopped suddenly, looking surprised. Castiel turned around as well, obviously wondering what was the deal with his brother. Gabriel kept gaping at Sam, making him wonder if he had bedhead or something, suddenly self conscious.  
Finally, Gabe seemed to start functioning again. "Uh, Sam? Are you okay?"  
"What?" Yeah, something was definitely up. Gabriel coughed awkwardly. "It's just, uh... You're kind of giving off a lot of pheromones there, pal. How long ago did you say you presented, exactly?"  
Sam thought, ignoring his confusion. "About a week, I think. Why do you a-" Suddenly, it hit him. "Oh. Oh." He did presented recently, so it made sense that he'd started... developing. God, he felt like an awkward teenager in sex ed. That explained why he was in such a bad mood. He heard Dean sigh in realization behind  him.   
        He coughed, embarrassed, and desperately tried to change the subject. "So... Where are we going to today? It sounded like you guys had a whole tour planned yesterday."   
        Because Gabe still seemed to be adjusting to the waves of scent that were apparently rolling off of him, Cas jumped in. "There's a very large aquarium a few blocks from here. They have quite the collection of marine life. And all of the animals there are pure."   
      "What does that mean, Cas?" Dean asked, sounding concerned. "Are there aquariums with animals that aren't?"  
       Castiel, not acknowledging the nickname, continued speaking while hailing a cab. "Forgive me, I forgot you guys aren't from the city. There have been... instances where zoos and other such attractions have been found to use heavily-drugged omegas as attractions, masking their scents and passing them off as animals. Of course, many people knew that they were actually shifters, and that seemed to make the attractions even more popular, disgusting as it is."  
      Sam felt sick to his stomach, suddenly regretting eating so much bacon. He knew, once he was fully developed, he would really smell like an omega. He already felt as though predatory eyes were following his every movement. He realized he'd been trying to make himself look smaller and less conspicuous, so he didn't stand out, which only made him feel worse. Normally, he would be comfortably walking at full height, thinking it made him look like an alpha, but now everyone would be able to  tell he was just a useless omega.   
Oh god, there's no way he's going to be able to become a lawyer now. It's common knowledge that omegas can't get decent jobs, but it's only really hitting him now. He'd always imagined that he'd be a famous lawyer when he was older, helping people get the justice they deserved, but now that wasn't even remotely possible. At best, he'd end up as the secretary for a lawyer ad at worst... he tried not to think about that. He was expected to find an alpha, or be sold to one, and get taken care of the rest of his life, as long as he kept the alpha happy. Stay quiet, cook and clean, and follow orders. Even if he found a good mate, that would still be his job, and he wouldn't be taken seriously if e tried to do anything else.   
Suddenly, Dean's fingers were snapping in front of his face, bringing him out of his daze. They were in front of a large building, which had been painted a deep shade of blue. A sign above the door had Aquarium! See  aquatic animals for a low price! Printed on it in blocky black text. Sam pulled the door open, and as soon as he'd stepped into the deep blue hallway, excitement shot through him. He'd never been to an aquarium before, and was suddenly excited to observe all of the marine animals he'd only seen in books and nature documentaries. Cas quickly payed for admission, before joining the rest of them in wandering further into the building.  
It was suddenly like a different, magnificent world. There were sky lights in the roof high above, making the walls dance with light splashes of color. In the first tank, which went all the way up to the ceiling,  an enormous hammerhead shark swam back and forth in front of their eyes. Sam stared at it in wonder, mouth falling open. The shark turned and swam away, to be replaced with a swarm of tropical looking fish that darted this way and that as a single being.   
For the next hour, they spread out across the aquarium, wandering through exhibits. Sam forgot the slight fear he'd felt all day  as he roamed the aquarium, carefully reading the descriptions by each tank. The rooms were all styled differently from one another: in some, there were simply massive tanks in the place of walls; in some the walls were full of indents with smaller tanks imbedded in them; in one room there was glass above them, revealing the undersides of swimming animals. Eventually, Sam made his way into a very large, dark room. The only light emanated from the glass walls around him, behind which there were multitudes of jellyfish of all shapes and sizes. The glow was coming from small lights in the bottom of the tank, making the jellyfish look ghostly and surreal. The creatures, combined with the soft light, were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He felt calm,  as though his head was clear for the first time since he'd found out his designation. No matter what anyone else said, being an omega didn't mean he was weak. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and he was fully capable of coping with not submitting to any alpha that tried to claim him. He had Dean, and now Castiel and Gabriel, standing by him. Whatever was coming, he'd be able to handle it.   
He held onto that thought even when they'd left the aquarium, holding his held up high as he and Dean walked back to the hotel, agreeing to meet the other shifters for breakfast again the next day. Sam knew that, in a few more days, it would be painfully obvious that he was an omega just by sniffing. Somehow, though, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment, thinking instead about what they might explore in the city tomorrow. At least, until he found himself instinctively shrinking up against the wall to make himself  inconspicuous as a group of drunken alphas stumbled past him, keeping his eyes to the floored as shame crept up his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are super appreciated! I just remember that this fix w as originally based off of the idea of Angels showing emotions with their wings, and it somehow turned into this. Thank you!


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because there doesn't seem to be a solid biological definition, I kind of just made my own for this AU. I'm not sure how common my take on it is, but oh well.

The rest of the week dragged slowly by, probably because he'd spent basically all of it in a dark room wrapped in blankets. He'd officially started "becoming an omega", to put it like a puberty video from the eighties, all through which Sam was in a constant state of discomfort. He had pounding headaches, his spine felt like it was constantly being twisted the wrong way, and, no matter how much he slept, he still felt tired. Not to mention what was happening, uh, downstairs.  
         Because everyone had assumed he was going to be an alpha, no one had bothered teaching him exactly what omegas had to deal with emotionally, much less their biology. What he had heard had been whispered in the boy's locker room (along with cruel and perverted comments that made him immensely uncomfortable) and the rumors weren't what he'd call reliable. He knew that omegas had vaginas (even if they also had penises) and could get pregnant, and the males would develop breasts if they did, but that's all.  
         He knew that developing would have side effects, but the worst was simply getting used to it. He had almost no idea how vaginas even worked, besides that children came out of them, alphas liked them, and that he wasn't supposed to have one. By Friday, it seemed like nothing else strange and uncomfortable was going to happen, so he decided he would risk joining the others soon. For the past few days, they'd been going out and visiting attractions in the city without him, bringing him leftover food whenever they could. Dean had tried to stay behind to make sure he was okay, but Sam wouldn't tolerate it. He really just wanted time to figure things out by himself, and he couldn't exactly do any of that with his brother hovering over his shoulder nervously.   
Now that he wasn't in pain and very confused, he felt incredibly restless, prompting his decision to go out with the others the next morning. He knew Dean had met Gabe and Cas (he'd become Cas somewhere along the way) in the buffet to get breakfast, so he could join them if he hurried. He threw on some pants and a t-shirt, and then about two layers of plaid (just in case), before rushing out the door and down the stairs.  
Because of his height, it was easy to spot his friends over the crowd of people shuffling about to get food. As he made his way over to them, he noticed that the smell of every shifter around him seemed more intense than he remembered. He could pick up on their emotions, too, which wasn't normal with people he didn't know well. By the time he reached the table they were sitting at, he was feeling dizzy from the swirling cloud of scents bombarding him. Sam plopped down into a chair as Dean greeted him, looking relieved. Still dizzy, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it.  
       "Is your sense of smell heightened?" Cas asked, looking slightly concerned, "I remember feeling quite over powered at first."   
       Sam nodded, relieved that he wasn't just imagining things. "I could smell people before, obviously, but now it's a lot...more detailed, if that makes sense." He turned to Dean, sniffing the air slightly. "I can tell you're kind of uncomfortable, for one thing."  
      Dean flushed, looking indignant. "Of course I'm uncomfortable! I have no idea what's going on, no one teaches us anything about this." Sam couldn't help but laugh. Sure, their sex education was devastatingly terrible (except about alphas and what they liked), but it was still fun to see his brother uncomfortable.   
          "You'll get used to it." Gabe chuckled. "Well... This is your last day in town, right? Is there anything special either of you want to do?"   
      Sam had totally forgotten that they were leaving that soon. He felt disappointed, somehow, but pushed the feeling away. That seemed to be how he was treating all of his emotions at the moment. They were getting back on the road, so they would have a real home soon, he told himself. Why would he be unhappy about that? There wasn't anything in particular he wanted to do anyway, so he just shrugged, while Dean shook his head.   
Cas looked up from where he'd just finished a burger (for breakfast? Really?) and swallowed before speaking. "There's a very nice park a short walk from here. We could go there for a while." He suggested. Sam nodded from around his mouthful of gross hotel eggs, loving the idea of getting some fresh air after breathing in nothing but the musty smell of the hotel room for a few days. They all finished eating quickly, before heading outside into the warm sunlight.  
Sam was starting to feel sick again by the time they were inside the little park, sitting in the shade of a massive oak tree. He could smell shifters farther away than before, and he seemed to inhaling the scent of everyone within a block. He decided to try and focus on making conversation in an attempt to distract himself from the waves of emotions that he could sense. Dean was talking animatedly, waving his hands around to put emphasis on his words. "...there was one time, when I was younger, that these kids decided it was a good idea to try and sneak around in our property. When dad found him... I'd never seen anyone look so scared, the little brats almost pees themselves." He laughed, shaking his head.   
       Castiel tilted his head to the side, looking strangely like a puppy, staring at Dean. "Do you miss him?" Dean hesitated, glancing at Sam, who just shrugged. He knew his brother had always been influenced by their father, and agreed with him on most topics. Sam was very glad one of the things they had different opinions on was wether or not omegas were to be treated as people, or as objects. Otherwise... Well, he probably wouldn't have made it out of tenor territory.  
       "I guess so.He wasn't a good person, I know that, but I looked up to him for so long, y'know? I can only remember getting into one serious argument, and it was the only time we ever disagreed about something important. One of our cousins presented as an omega when he was only thirteen. None of us were allowed to talk to him for the three weeks right afterwards, not even his parents, and then, one day..." He paused, and Sam started feeling sick. He'd done his best to forget about that, especially when he started showing signs of presenting soon. Dean braced himself quickly, before pressing on, "at dinner, Dad announced he was going to be given away to a neighboring pack the next day to form an alliance. Some bullshit about "keeping the peace". His mother started sobbing, and I couldn't just sit and watch. I told him there were other things to give away, things that weren't people. He said I wasn't being practical. We started yelling, and-"  
        "He said that omegas weren't any better than objects. That they only existed to be fucked, to cook and and clean, and to keep their mouths shut like a good bitch." Sam spat out, words feeling filthy on his tongue. For the first time since he presented, he felt anger towards his father. "He said that they were meant to be bred and to raise pups, and be thrown around as any alpha likes." He just kept talking, a burning hate building in his chest as he spoke. "When I was eleven, he came to visit the school for a parent teacher conference, and I had to wait outside the room while they talked. I don't know what the teacher said, but they both started yelling, and when he came out, he was furious. The whole drive home, he kept saying that I was supposed to just take anything I wanted, and that I shouldn't be such a pushover. He just wouldn't stop yelling, and I started to cry. That  made him  even angrier, and he hit me. That's when I decided I'd never be anything like him. It didn't matter if I was an beta, an alpha, or an omega, I wouldn't be a sexist bastard. I started arguing back from then on, which got me hit again more than once." Sam finally managed to stop the bitter waterfall of words falling from his mouth. He looked up, expecting the others to be looking at him like he had grown another head, but Cas and Gabriel just looked sympathetic, and Dean nodded, remembering that fight.  
         "Despite our difference in experiences, I can empathize." Cas consoles him, looking oddly wise, despite his messy hair and wide blue eyes. "When I first got my freedom, I was disgusted with myself for many months. I couldn't believe how foolish I had been, and I tried to hide my designation as much as possible, though my scent gave me away. Fortunately, I eventually learned that I had nothing to be ashamed of. The people who has me in captivity were very clever. They convinced hundred of omegas that power was something unappealing that should be left to the alphas."  
          For a while, they sat in silence, simply enjoying the weather and thinking about all that has been said. It wasn't long before  they began talking again, but about simple things now. The sun began creeping down, eventually painting the sky a mix of purples and blues, with a fiery orange in the center. Sam sat up from where he'd slumped down against the base of the tree, stretching slowly. He felt a wave of disappointment that the day was over in his chest, but ignored it once again. He turned to look at Gabe, who was tracing patterns in the grass, and Cas, who was laying down and staring into the vastness of the sky. "So... I guess this is goodbye?"   
      Gabe sighed, "Guess so. Dean said you guys are leaving really early in the morning, so we can't make it. I need my beauty sleep, after all." Sam chuckled, looking up at the stars that were emerging one by one above them.  
     Cas had sat up, and was now looking intently at him and his brother. "Thank you both for spending your time with us. It was very enjoyable, and I hope we can meet again some time. Goodbye, Sam and Dean Winchester." He said formally, offering his hand out to them, and Sam shook it firmly.  
        They bid their goodbyes, before they went their separate ways. 

 

Castiel shivered slightly in the damp, night chilled air as they made their way home. He glanced at his brother, and knew that they were thinking the same thing. Gabriel turned to look at him, smirking slightly, before twisting around suddenly and walking quickly in the other direction.  
           He looked back for a second, and Castiel rolled his eyes. "So, you wanna go with them or what, Cassie?" He asked, and Cas sighed at his brother's taste for the dramatic.   
       "Don't call me Cassie." He said as he hurried to catch up with him.

Dean had just pulled open the hotel door in front of him when the beat of wings hit Sam's ears. He turned around quickly, and gasped. Above, in the sky, Cas and Gabe were flying. Their wings beating the air powerfully, enormous and beautiful. The moonlight glinted off of the deep blue-black of Cas's wings, and off of the turquoise on the tips of Gabriel's. Sam couldn't have turned around if he wanted too, completely caught up in the scene as the soared above him, and he could hear Gabe's laughter echoing down through the sky. They twisted and turned in the air, before rapidly diving down, almost in unison. Gabe landed elegantly in front of him, wings still beating slightly, with Cas on his tail.   
      The conure grinned from ear to ear, bowing slightly before speaking. "So, I decided you couldn't possibly survive on your trip without my handsome face and charming personality, so we've decided to join you!" He announced with a flourish of his hands.  
       Cas pushed in front of him, looking slightly exasperated . "Uh, not if it would be an inconvenience... We just thought, maybe, that you'd need a little assistance? If not, we can just-"   
      Gabriel flapped his wings once, shooting up behind his brother to get their attention. "Follow you anyway! So, your only options are having the pleasure of our company, or filing a restraining order. What'll it be?"  
       Sam just gaped for a moment, before turning to look at Dean, who seemed just as stunned. He only and to think about it for a moment before he turned back to look at the expectant avians, decision already made.  
        "Um.... We don't exactly have time for a restraining order, do we, Dean?" He tried to suppress a grin, watching as his brother caught on.   
       "I don't think so, Sammy. Looks like we might just have to let these two tag along with us. Hopefully they won't mind your terrible taste in music."   
       He rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he was allowed to choose what music they listened to, anyway. "Well, there's no way they'll like how you leave dirty clothes on every available surface." Sam was definitely smiling as he turned back to their friends, but he couldn't help it. He really did like both of them, and it would definitely be fun to have down company besides Dean on what would most likely be a long trip.   
       "So, that settles it. We'll meet here tomorrow, then?"  
      The Novaks both agreed, then bid them goodnight. As he way end them fly away, wings flashing in the moonlight, Sam found himself grinning when he realized that it was a goodnight and not a goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing by this on my wattpad (so I could write it on my phone rather than my kindle) and recently some girls from my grade have been asking to read it. I've been really nervous that they'll find it, especially with what's coming in the next chapter. It's going to get angsty, and then even worse. Be prepared.   
> P.S. I'll update the tags so you can avoid anything you're not comfortable with.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where it starts getting really dark. Be warned.

It didn't take Sam long to come to the conclusion that traveling with Cas and Gabe was a lot more fun than traveling with just Dean. It wasn't like he didn't want to spend time with his brother, but they were siblings, and they could only get along for a certain amount of time before he got tired of him leaving dirty clothes all over the place. The Novaks certainly made the hours of walking fly by, and he found himself loving every minute they spent with them. Gabe had a clever, if a little crude, sense of humor; Cas was more serious, and didn't understand some of the perverted comments Dean made, but he made good conversation, and understood what Sam was going through.   
With such good company, it seemed like only an hour before they reached the next city, though it was actually much longer. They Novaks had helped them come up with an actual route, and this was the first place they'd planned on staying the night in. It was huge, making the bustling town they'd stayed the week in seem tiny. He nearly had to hold his breath to not choke on the strong scents bombarding him: the cool-metal-and-crackling-fire scent of alphas, the more subdued candles-and-cherry-tree beta scent, and the faint, slightly sweet smell of omega. They fought through the crowds of shifters to a shabby motel, quickly checking in and heading to their rooms. They'd managed to get two rooms, each with a pair of twin beds, and a door connecting the two. The blankets were an ugly color, and the walls had some very suspicious stains, but it would do. Even though Gabe had made a trip to the bank early in the morning to get all of the money he and Cas had saved, they still didn't want to spend all their cash now and not be able to buy food later.  
      As Sam set to unpacking his few belongings, he tugged at his collar, feeling suddenly uncomfortable warm. When did it get so hot in here? The room around him was becoming fuzzy, and the smell of his companions only became stronger and stronger until he felt like he was suffocating. He sank down to his knees, his body no longer under his control as the world spun at the edges  
      "Sam? Sam!" He heard Dean's worried voice over the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, saw his face swimming above him and felt a cool rag against his forehead. That made the room stop spinning, if only for a moment, and he managed to sit up. Everyone had gathered around him, looking concerned and baffled. His eyes were strangely  drawn to the way Gabriel was scenting  the air attentively, a mix of confusion and a strange, controlled hunger painting his face. Despite the distraction, he caught the flash of realization that passed over Cas, and the crow knelt down to speak to him.   
      "Sam, you're going into heat." He spoke in a gentle, but slightly shaky voice. Well, that explained the strange dampness in his boxers, at least. "Do you have any suppressants?" He gesture vaguely towards his bag feeling a little loopy, and Dean began digging through it furiously. Sam could feel the reasonable part of his brain slowly giving in to the buzz thrumming though his veins, the rush of energy that was making his blood roar in his ears and his heart bump a choppy rhythm in his chest. Dean's face appeared in his line if vision once more and it vaguely registered to Sam that he looked terrified.  
"Sam, they're not in there! There's birth control, but no heat suppressants! Are you sure you put them in there?" His voice was frantic, but Sam was having trouble seeing what the big deal was. Why didn't he just calm down and stop yelling? Castiel pulled Dean away from him, and said something he couldn't quite catch. Dean nodded, leaning down to speak to him again, as though he were a child.   
"Sammy, we're going to go get you some more suppressants, okay?" He grabbed a birth control pill, shoving it into his hands. "Take that, j-just in case. Gabe is still here. It's all okay. Everything's fine. Just stay here." Even though he couldn't seem able to think properly at the moment, Sam knew he was mostly saying it to reassure himself. He heard Gabriel protest, but the door had already closed behind them.. The door had already slammed behind Cas and Dean, leaving them alone in that sweltering room.  
Sam was actually totally fine. For about five minutes. At that point his goddamn biology decided that his life just wasn't hard enough already. Gabe had just brought him a glass of water from the bathroom sink, which he gulped down thirsty. He tired tomorrow back to where he's been standing as far away as the small room would allow moved away quickly, but Sam was still overwhelmed with the strong, sudden,  heavy scent of alpha that was coming off of him. He whimpered, a wave of need washing over him.   
Even though slick was leaking onto his boxers, he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't want to feel so helpless and weak. He hated his body for betraying him like this, even as his hands latched onto Gabriel's shirt, tugging. He turned around quickly , and Sam shuddered at the fierce hunger in his eyes, even as he ignored the fear that he saw.   
"Sam..." His voice came out a low growl, and he shook with the force in it, whining. Suddenly, with surprising strength, he was lifted up and slammed against the wall. He saw the glint of gold eyes, the only substantial light in that dim, stuffy room, before rough lips pressed against his own. Hands tangled in his hair, tugging roughly, and he let out a moan, even as his conscience screamed at him that he was being reckless. Then that rough mouth was gone, along with the pressure holding him against the wall, and he slumped down. In front of him, Gabe was backing away slowly, looking panicked.   
"Shit, Sam- god, I'm so sorry, oh god-" and then he was gone, door thumping shut before the room fell silent with a horrible sense of finality. He sat there for a minute, his body disappointed and empty, while his mind was racing with a million thoughts. God, why did this have to happen? Now Gabriel would hate him... How could he have lost his heat suppressants? Why couldn't he control himself? He stayed there, curled in a ball on the floor for what felt like forever, a writhing mass of hatred building up in his chest.   
Why did he have to ruin everything? It was his fault Dean wasn't at home with the pack. And now, when he'd finally thought he had friends, he'd gone and fucked it all up again. He was just a fucking useless omega, who wasn't good for anything other than being obedient. He never should have even tried to be anything other than a bitch.   
He curled in on himself further, tears streaming down his face. He wished he was strong enough not to cry, to ignore the poisonous thoughts pounding in his head, and the lust coursing through his veins, even as he sobbed harder and harder. After what felt like years, he managed to stand up, trying desperately to get control of himself. He stumbled into the cramped bathroom, wiping his face with a towel. H what to get control of himself  
         Suddenly, a wave of terrible pain stabbed through his stomach, and he bent tover, gasping. Sam could hear his heart pounding behind his ears, and feel a deep, powerful emptiness in a pit below his stomach. He stood up slowly, his brain ndbuzzing once more with need need need, ieven stronger than before. He wiped his face off again, before he was walking out into the room and too the window, his legs moving of their own accord. He pulled it open, climbing out into the cool night air, though it did nothing to reduce the burning heat inside of him. He didn't want this. He didn't want to be out here in the cold, with an unyielding desire to submit and be taken filling his body but not his mind. He wanted to be sitting on a couch with Dean and Cas and Gabe, watching a movie and bickering about what the best character was. He felt like crying, but his body wouldn't let him. It was as though there waves were pushing up at his throat, threatening to choke him if he let them. He tried to Eason with himself, to walk  back to the hotel and wait this out, but he couldn't. He shook, fear overwhelming his mind.  
Suddenly, he paused, the strong smell of alpha drawing him to a sketchy looking bar glowing with dim red light. He knew he stunk of heat, of want, and he began shaking with panic. He knew that if he went in to a place that packed with alphas, there was no way he could get out, even if he somehow I he got control of his body. That didn't stop him from walking slowly towards the bar, the scent of alpha clouding his brain. He fought against his limbs to turn around, to run, to get away, but he couldn't keep his shaking hands from pushing open the door.   
He was vaguely aware of flashing lights around him in the dark room, but his main focus was on keeping his head down, and his shoulders hunched. He heard murmurs and growls fill the air around him, and, suddenly, there was a group of alphas circling him gleaming eyes and cruel, grabbing hands. Before they could snatch him, he was pulled away to a table in the back, and he couldn't help the disappointed whine that escaped him.   
The alphas turned away muttering, and his attention was pulled to the girl who'd grabbed him. She was unmistakably an alpha, with curled brown hair and dark brown eyes. She pushed him down into a chair, sitting down next him before glaring at him as she spoke.  
"Oh, quit complaining. Those guys aren't worth your time." She offered him a drink, which he took a grateful sip of. He'd been sweating slightly without even realizing it.   
"So, what's your name? And how are you stupid enough to go to a place like this when you're in heat?" She asked, and he flinched slightly at her mocking tone.   
"I'm Sam." Was all he a managed to say. Apparently, his body thought that was all that was necessary. He asked her what her name was, but by the end of the sentence, his tongue seemed to have stopped listening to him along with the rest of his body. The room was spinning violently again. He tried to stand up, panic shooting through him, but he only toppled over. The alpha propped him up, and he just stared at her, mind fogging over. He felt his consciousness slipping away, the world going black as he saw the girl open her mouth, forked tongue slipping out and flicking in the air. Her eyes, which had been normal a second before, had slit pupils surrounded by yellow, and she laughed in his ear.   
"I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you, Sam."  
And the world turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger, but it was necessary. I've been trying to make my chapters less ridiculously short, and I think it's working. Seriously, it just kind of goes downhill from here in terms of happiness.


	10. Chapter Nine

For the rest of the night, Sam never quite returned to full conscience, but there were times when he was aware of what was happening around him, but powerless to stop it. He was like a witness to his own life, able to see things, but incapable of controlling his own movements. Even his vision was failing him, making him only able to see things in blurry flashes. He remembered the glint of fangs and the glow of yellow eyes, dim lights swimming in and out of view, and a terrible, irresistible want. His body was betraying him, giving in to desires he hated himself for having. Eventually, he sank once more into the haze of unconsciousness thankfully,  because being awake was so much worse.

When he awoke, despite the blankets wrapped around him, he felt cold both inside and out. He sat up in the empty bed, staring at the dust that danced inside a beam of sunlight shining in from the window. The empty room was all too silent as the memories from the night before played one after the other, in a loop, through his mind. He tried to stand up, but his body ached so severely that he gave up and crashed back into the mattress. He screwed his eyes shut, trying desperately to chase away the rapidly growing guilt, fear, and loathing that burned in his chest.   
The emptiness of the room seemed to take on a shape, draping itself over him and slowly smothering him, as the light continued to stream in brightly through the window.

He sat in that vacant room for what felt like hours, staring unmoving at the floor, only shifting when he heard the sound of yelling outside the door. It was thrown open with a crash, and he looked up to see Dean storming into the room with Cas on his tail, a dangerous fury etched into his features. He looked around wildly, before his eyes landed on Sam, and rushed over to him immediately  
      "Sammy! What happened? Are you hurt?" He asked,  frantically shaking him. Sam just shook his head. Dean carefully helped him to his feet, talking to him as though he were a scared child.  
        "Let's get you into the shower. Here are your clothes. Can you do everything on your own?" Sam nodded, not really listening as he walked shakily to the bathroom, his sore body aching in protest. He turned the shower on, thick steam quickly filling the room. He untangled the sheet he'd wrapped around himself and let it fall to the floor. He stepped into the hot water, and it immediately eased the dull, persistent pain in his shoulders and back slightly. Slowly, he went through the motions of washing himself, not able to shake the feeling that this was all some surreal dream.  
Only when the water turned cold did he finally shut it off, carefully stepping out onto the mat. That slow ache in his spine started up again as soon as he was out of the water. He dried off, and was about to pull the clothes Dean had given him on when he caught sight of himself in the mirror, sickness once again twisting his stomach at his image. There were scratches and bruises all over his back and chest, prominent reminders of his own weakness, but that wasn't even the worst part. That was the deep, glaringly obvious mating bite ingrained deep in his right shoulder. When his fingertips brushed against it, the raised mark stung sharply, but he could tell it was already fading. He had said yes to this. Everyone knew that a mating bite would fade immediately if verbal consent wasn't given from both parties. There was no way he could have said no, or it would be long gone.  
       He turned away from the mirror and quickly put his clothes on, and was about to leave the bathroom when he heard a crash outside the door, followed by yelling.  
      "Where were you?" Sam, who had been about to go see what all the noise was about, froze at the fury in his brother's voice, and the strong, feral scent of an angry alpha. "You just left him all alone! In heat, for god's sake!"   
         "It's your fault for leaving me with him! You know, I'm actually affected, unlike you or Cas!" He heard Gabriel yell back, though it didn't sound like the friendly, talkative Gabe he'd gotten to know. He sounded angry, challenging, and like an alpha.   
       "I thought you'd be able to control yourself, and not act like some mindless animal! But I guess I couldn't have expected anything else from some random alpha!" Dean snarled, and Sam could tell he was seconds away from a fight. Despite the instinctual, ridiculous urge to keep his head down, stay out of the way, and keep quiet, he threw the door open.in front of him, Dean was grabbing Gabriel's shirt, and both alphas looked like they wanted to kill the other. Castiel was behind them, looking agitated and jumpy.  Everyone turned to stare at him when he opened the door, before they all shifted and tried to look like a fight hadn't been just about to break out.  
           "There you are, Sammy! I was starting to think you'd drowned. Come on, we're all packed and ready to go, no thanks to you." Dean urged him, his smile and peppy voice just a little bit too cheery to be real. He nodded, and as they all grabbed their bags, Sam noticed that, no matter what, Gabe wouldn't catch his eye. He gave up, and was about to follow Dean out the door when Cas pulled him to the side.   
"Here. Take one of these every day for six days, starting today. It will cancel your heat." He offered him a small bottle filled with oddly bright turquoise pills, which he recognized as heat suppressants. He thanked the other omega, who was staring at him with a strangely solemn expression. He turned to leave again, popping a pill into his mouth and swallowing it, but was stopped by Cas again. "Sam... What happened with my brother? I know him, and he wouldn't have left you unless he really had to."  
He paused again, for the first time really stopping to think about how the alpha had acted. He'd done his best not to think of anything from the night before, crushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, but he did owe Cas an explanation...  
"Well, I was fine at first, I guess, but then my heat got really bad all of a sudden. I-he just kissed me. I don't even think he meant to, but he did.  And then he panicked and left." He recalled, trying to sort out the blurry memories.  Castiel studied him silently for a moment, tilting his head to the side slightly.  
        "I suggest you tell Dean the events of last night. He seems to believe that my brother did more than just kiss you, and his protectiveness of you could quickly spiral out of control. The avian murmured, before walking brusquely out the door. Sam stood for a moment, trying to process his words through the rest of his clouded thoughts, before he sprinted to catch up with the rest of them. 

           For the rest of the day, as they walked, everyone kept acting overly cheery and friendly. Dean wouldn't stop "subtly" checking to make sure he was okay; Gabe wouldn't stop making jokes; and Cas kept quoting nature documentaries, God knows why. Sam just went along with it, occasionally faking laughter. When they stopped for lunch, he managed to get Dean alone long enough to explain to him everything that had happened. It was difficult to recall anything past the point Gabriel left, and even harder to put it into words. As he spoke, the hole inside of his chest seemed to grow bigger and bigger. He somehow kept his face neutral, even as he said the worst of it, while Dean gradually looked more and more and more enraged as his story went on, even though he managed to keep himself under control.   
          "You took birth control right?" He asked, and Sam scoffed.   
       "Yes, Dean. I'm not an idiot."  
        "Okay, okay. Just had to make sure. And that bitch didn't bite you, did she?" In response, he pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing the now faint mark. His brother's face once again became an angry mask, and he muttered some curse words under his breath before stomping off to eat with the others. Sam sighed, walking after him. Maybe he'd feel better after he ate some food, he thought, even though the thought of eating made him feel slightly sick at the moment. 

        They spent the next two days walking and making forced conversation. They stuck to the forest, shifting into their fully animal forms to sleep. Sam made very sure to take his pill every day, though Cas  reminded him often just in case. Dean hardly left his side for a second, while it seemed like Gabe would rather die than  stand within a foot of him, much less hold a substantial conversation.   
        Finally, on their third night sleeping in the woods, Sam awoke to the sound of rustling nearby. He cautiously raised his head, glancing around to notice someone stand up and carefully walk away. He stood up, still in wolf form, and followed the figure. Finally, he stopped in a small clearing and sat down. Sam shifted into his human form before following him into the clearing, moonlight illuminating his surroundings.   
      "What are you doing out here this late, Gabriel?"He asked, and the alpha's head shot up.  
      "Sam? Oh, I just needed a walk to clear my head. I could ask you the same thing, though. Did you follow me?"  
       "No I just-well, yeah. I was curious, I guess. Sorry."   
       The other shifter just brushed off his apology, and they sat in an awkward silence for a while. Sam occasionally glanced at him, a question burning under his skin. Finally, his curiosity won out over his reason.   
         "Why did you leave? That night, I mean." He blurted.   
        Gabe looked at him for a second, before signing. "I didn't say this before, because I didn't want to scare you guys away, but..." He took a deep breath before he continued, once again not meeting his eyes. "When I was with those people, I wasn't only being taught to fight. We learned that, because we were alphas, we should just take whatever we wanted. For years of my life, I thought I was better than anyone else, and that I had to act like it. Sometimes, it scares me how well I got in there. I was told, all the time, that alphas were just ruthless, lustful, animals, who were ruled by their instincts, and so that's how I acted. When I got out, I still had that mentally." He laughed, but it didn't sound like he found it very funny. "It took a lot of experiences, and meeting Castiel, for me to finally unlearn all of that. That's why I was so scared, Sam, when I lost control. I was terrified that I'd hurt you, and that I really was just a mindless animal."   
Finally, he was looking at Sam, and now he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.   
"It wasn't your fault, Gabe. What they taught you, and how you acted because of it, none of that was your choice. You're a hell of a lot better at controlling yourself than just about any alpha I know. Seriously, none of this is your fault." He stood, offering his friend a hand and pulling him up, smiling. They walked back to where their brothers were still sleeping, and settled back down in animal form. Despite how well things seemed to be going now, he was suddenly suddenly unable to sleep, thoughts crowded around Sam's head. In the dark, with nothing to distract him, he couldn't stop thinking of how out of control he'd felt without his suppressants. You can't even control yourself, can you? You're just a helpless, needy, little omega. You can't ever be anything else but a bitch, no matter how hard you try. You can't fight it, Sam. You can't fight who you are.  
As he sat in the dark, the voice inside his head slowly became less and less like his own.


	11. Chapter Ten

Sam didn't think he'd fallen asleep, but he woke up the next morning, tired and confused. He got up with the others and shifted back into his human form, rubbing at his eyes. The group was infinitely more relaxed, and the day seemed to go by faster now that Cas had stopped spouting bee facts. They booked rooms at a shabby motel, and then decided to eat something that wasn't mediocre (for which Sam was grateful; he didn't think he could handle putting any more trash in his body). They chose a decent looking restaurant and sat down in a booth, talking excitedly. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, and Sam couldn't help but notice the way his brother looked at Cas when he thought nobody would see. He tried to hide his smile, resisting the urge to tease his brother. Girls (and boys, on occasion) had been throwing themselves at Dean for years now, and since brother hadn't exactly been opposed to the attention, he quickly became notorious for one night stands. Despite his manly, alpha, I'm-too-cool-for-a-mate attitude, Sam knew that he'd actually been looking for a more substantial relationship , as much as he tried to cover it up with crappy jokes. He continued to watch his brother stare, awestruck, at Cas as he complained grumpily that the chef had gotten his order wrong.   
"We might as well give up now. I can't see any point in living if my pasta doesn't even have any Parmesan on it. None of you are in my will, it's all going to my cat." He muttered, and Sam couldn't help but laugh.  
"You don't even have a cat, Cas." Dean chuckled leaning over to ruffle his already messy hair. The crow just groaned, eating his food quickly anyway, parmesan or not. They all finished their meals quickly, chatting the whole time. As they walked out into the damp night air, Gabe talked about the months he'd stolen to survive, exaggerating to make it sound like he was some kind of amazing secret agent instead of a poor kid. He was such a good story teller that Sam was actually half convinced he'd actually beaten eight alphas in a fight by the time he'd finished talking. Silence fell among them as they turned through the city blocks that had grown quiet with the night, only seeing another shifter here and there. Suddenly, Castiel froze in front of him, and Sam just barely stopped himself from crashing into him.   
"What is it?" He asked, getting the attention of the alphas as well. Cas sniffed the air quickly, before turning to face them with wide eyes.   
"Someone's in trouble. I can smell omega, fear, desperation, and... Metal." He looked oddly thoughtful, his eyebrows creasing in concentration. Now that he mentioned it, those scents did hang in the air... distant, but fresh. He quickly let his wolf ears materialize, turning his head from side to side in an attempt to hear something. Far away, he heard the sound of a child crying, and his heart pounded in his chest.   
"We have to help. Come on!" He urged, already sprinting into the alleyway the noises had come from, the others at his heels. He didn't even think about all of the bad things that rushing in to possible danger could cause, he just knew he had to help. He panted, trying to follow the scent while darting through a labyrinth of backstreets and alleyways. Suddenly, the trail became faint, and he skidded to a halt, twisting around to look back at the way he'd came. Dean barely stopped himself from crashing into him, feet slipping on the slick concrete. Gabriel and Cas, who'd been scouting the ground from above them, landed next to him. There was nowhere to leave the ally, so why had the scent become fainter here? He examined the dripping walls, the singular, broken streetlamp, and the grimy manhole that sunk into the street. Wait... When he looked at it closely, he realized that the cover of the manhole was ajar,  so he could get the tiniest glimpse of the sewer below.   
          "Do you think...?" He let the question hang in the air, his meaning already clear. Dean crouched beside him, staring down at the sewer as well.  
        "There's no other reason the trail would stop. This has to be it." Sam stood up, looking at his friends for confirmation. Gabe shrugged and Cas nodded in agreement, but Sam couldn't help but notice that his movements were unusually stiff and controlled, even for Cas. He didn't have time to think about it, though, because Dean was already climbing down the rickety ladder into the tunnels below. He followed, the rusty metal cool in his hands. They climbed in the dark, the only sound the puff of breath and the occasion drip of water falling down into the dark beneath them. Eventually, the vertical tunnel reached an end, and they stepped down onto the slippery platform beneath them. They were standing on a small strip of concrete in the middle of a curved passageway, the only light coming from the moon shining through from high above. On either side, murky water rushed down channels, and Sam really didn't want to think about what kind of filth was in there. A little down the path was a curved, railing-less bridge, the only way to cross to the more substantial walk ways on the edges of the tunnel. Dean gestured to it, and they began wordlessly edging down the path. Sam crossed first, doing his best to keep his footing on the slick surface. He reached the wall, stepping onto more solid land with a sigh. His heart was pounding in his chest as he scented the air, worry that they were already too late forming in the back if his mind. He caught that scent of fear-panic-help again, and rushed off in the direction of it once more, assuming the others were behind him. He ran, feet occasionally sliding on the wet stone, but somehow staying upright, until he reached a small tunnel carved out into the wall. It was discreet, so hidden in the shadows that he wouldn't have noticed it if the scent hadn't increased at its entrance. He turned into it without hesitation, the only thought on his mind that there was someone that needed his help. Sam retreated further into the darkness, following the scent through crossroads and forks in the road, the surroundings slowly morphing from the slime-covered walls of the sewer tunnels into neat, black painted hallways. As the the floor transformed into wood, he thought back to when he was a kid again. He'd always felt like he should help people however he could, even when it got him in trouble. His best friend before she moved away, Jess, had presented as an omega when she was thirteen. They'd been walking back to her house after getting ice cream in the year afterward, and it'd been ridiculously hot. She'd been wearing s tank top and shorts, and that got the attention of a few alphas. They'd barked condescending, filthy insults at her, called them compliments, and had gotten aggressive when she ignored them. When they started following them, still yelling, Sam could tell she was scared. He hadn't hesitated to punch one guy in the face and put up a good fight, but he was outnumbered and outmatched. He had been thrown to the ground when Dean intervened, scaring the alphas off. Jess had thanked Sam, which made up for the fact that Dean was furious with him.   
He was only dragged from the memory when he reached an eerily pristine doorway, voices on the other side halting in his tracks. He couldn't understand what was being said, but the speakers were obviously alpha, talking in commanding tones. He barely kept from bursting through the door out of instinct when the stream of unintelligible words was interrupted by a scream of pain, followed by a moment of silence, before then the conversation continued as though nothing had happened. He didn't dare to move, desperately hoping that the speakers weren't heading in their direction. The conversation slowly died out, and he listened carefully to the sound of fading footsteps. Sam stayed frozen in place until the scent of alpha had grown stale, glancing back to see Cas directly behind him, nodding in encouragement as he slowly pushed open the door. He crept forward carefully, wary of being seen, only to discover that the room was completely empty of other shifters. In fact, the only thing inside was a large black desk, a chair, and a lamp that cast a small circle of light in the otherwise shadowy space. He realized with a sickening lurch that the desk had been clawed at viciously, deep scratch marks carved into the wood. He walked forward to get a closer look, but stepped back when his foot landed a puddle of dark, sticky something. He didn't have to take a second glance to know that the substance was blood. The walls were lined with four identical doors, all of which were covered in claw marks. He tried to scent the air again, but found it so clouded with the smell of alpha, blood, and fear that he couldn't tell where the omega they were after had gone. Dean and Gabriel seemed to be struggling as well, but Cas was staring around them, his jaw set in determination.   
"This way." He said, walking confidently to the door farthest to the left. Sam began to ask him how he knew, but he'd already thrown open the door and was gone before he could get a word out. Dean just shrugged, following behind him. Sam decided there wasn't time to worry about it, and just hoped that Cas was right as he took off after them. They snuck into another dimly lit, black room, and he was reminded instantly of a hospital waiting room; the walls were lined with chairs, and there was another, larger desk, behind which was an automatic glass door. Cas continued through it, leading them into a long, twisting hallway, doors placed evenly all down the dark walls. In here the scent of alpha that had filled the other rooms was gone, omega fear saturating the air heavily. Sam opened the door closest to him without thinking, heart racing. A light flickered on, illuminating a tiny area of concrete, about a dozen cages just barely covered in shadow near the walls. He could see barely-there shapes moving, scrambling away from the light as though it stung them. He moved closer to one cage, trying to see what it held. Suddenly, something jumped forward, crashing against the bars, and he jumped, nearly falling backwards. Inches away from him was a little girl, no more than ten. Her lip was bleeding and she had a black eye, and she was absolutely filthy. Her dress was torn and covered in a mix of dirt and blood, chunks of her hair had been ripped out, and there was panic in her wide brown eyes.   
"You're-you're not an alpha!" She exclaimed, as though it was a miracle, her voice rough from screaming. All around him, other shifters moved cautiously into the light, blinking and sniffing in his scent. They were all different ages: more small children like the girl in front of him, while others were teenagers or young adults. Regardless of age, they all wore that same desperate expression, that of a creature fearing things worse than death. He retreated quickly, overwhelmed, to see Gabe looking in behind him, appearing as sick as he felt.   
"All of these rooms are the same." He whispered, gesturing all down the hallway. How? He thought to himself as he realized what that meant. How could this many omegas be trapped down here in this horrible place? How had nothing been done? He felt rage fill him, burning in his stomach and lighting his body on fire. No one deserves to live like this. He strode back into the dark room, spotting the keychain hanging from the wall easily. He examined it carefully, seeing that each of the many keys had a number written on it in neat handwriting. He checked the hallway again, this time noticing that each door had a small, discreet number etched into the paint to the right if it. The door he'd entered was marked with a one. He found the number on the keychain, went to the little girl's cage, and placed the key into the heavy lock. He turned it to the right with a click, and the bars swung open. She climbed out carefully, as though every movement hurt. The key for the room unlocked every cage he tried, and Sam hurriedly freed the rest of the omegas. The older shifters seemed wary of him, but the young ones were quick to pull at his clothes and cling to him, and he lead the group back out into the hallway. Dean just listened to his explanation of how the keys worked and went straight into the next room to help, without questioning him. Unfortunately, he was met immediately with growling and curses. Gabe got the same reaction, and Sam quickly figured out that the omegas would only trust him because he wasn't an alpha. He got two of the oldest of the shifters he'd freed, and asked them to help him unlock more cages. They agreed, looking slightly dazed, and they started off down the hall. It was only after he had a decent sized band of beat up prisoners behind him that he realized that he hadn't seen Cas since they'd entered the hallway. When he asked Dean, he shook his head, worry overtaking his features. They paused the rescue mission, and took off down the hall, trying to untangled their friend's scent from the cloud of unfamiliar omega. When he wasn't in that hall, they split up down some off the other passageways. Finally, Sam frantically pushed open a door, to find Cas standing in the middle of a large room, looking straight ahead.   
         "Cas, what're you doing here? We were worried about you." He said, trying to drag him from his trance. He stepped forward carefully when he didn't receive a response, finally seeing what his friend was looking at. He gasped, taking in the shelves after shelves of collars in all colors and sizes that lined the walls. What were these for? Confused, he stepped forward and carefully picked one up, examining it. Even though it was large enough to fit around an adult's neck easily, it was clear that it was supposed to be tightened beyond what was healthy. He turned it in his hands, finding a small keyhole in the back, where it would be difficult for the wearer to unlock. He turned back to Cas, who was staring with a vicious hatred at the rack. Sam began to ask what these were for, even though he already knew,  but was distracted when Cas raised a hand and pulled down the collar of his trench coat. There was a deep scar imprinted on his neck, faded but still prominent.   
"I told you that I was very well behaved, didn't I? This was what I got for my compliance. To be collared like a dog, trained and ready to be used." He spat, and Sam fought off panic at the words, but he tried to focus on helping the omegas.  
"We've got to get out of here, okay, Cas? We freed a bunch of omegas, they're waiting out in the hall-" he began, trying to pull him away form the shelves, when a door flew open at the opposite side of the room. A group of snarling alphas burst in, and Sam didn't need to think twice to make a run for it, dragging Cas behind him. They were outnumbered by far, and they couldn't risk the freed prisoners being injured in their current state, they might not survive. They rushed down the hall, and he yelled a garbled warning to Dean, who began ushering the omegas back down the hallway. They sprinted out the door and into the waiting room, and Sam managed to shut the door on the swarm of alphas pushing at it, but not before one of them raked their claws over his shoulder. He didn't have time to focus on the pain, though, as he continued ushering the group into the other room and back into the maze of hallways that lead to the sewers. He could hear alarms blaring and angry yells in their wake, and continued to sprint, scooping up a few children who couldn't keep running so fast, horrified at how their frail bodies weighed almost nothing. They made it to the sewers at last, skidding and sliding recklessly in the dash back to the manhole, but somehow they all stayed together. They finally reached the manhole, and Sam began urging the little ones up the rusty ladder first. He could tell the alphas were drawing closer, and was thankful Gabe, Dean, and Cas agreed that they should get the omegas up the ladder to safety before themselves.   
Dean had just begun climbing after the last omega had made it when the alphas were upon them, surrounding them completely. Sam turned to the swarm and slashed out, his claws striking one in the face. Next to him, Gabe had pulled out a knife and was slashing it quickly through the the crowd, and he could sense Dean fighting just as well behind him, but Cas was the most terrifying out of them all. In one swift motion, he unfurled his wings, knocking alphas near him down, and then ruthlessly attacking them with fists, talons, and teeth. There was an unrestrained hatred in his eyes, but behind that, barely visible, was the look of a trapped animal. He fought ruthlessly, and Sam found himself wondering if some of the alphas would get up. He focused back on his own battle, even as he realized they were basically trapped . They were surrounded on all sides by furious alphas, the only escape upwards, and, even if they were to start climbing, the alphas would catch them half way up with no one to stop them. He dodged a punch to his head and kicked his assailant's legs out from under him, trying to see if there was any order to the attack. After a few seconds of watching the unorganized fight, it was obvious that the alphas had no leader, and were attacking without any pattern. A plan began forming in the back of his mind, and he caught his brother's eye. After knocking out an alpha, he gestured to him, a sign they'd used when hunting with the pack. Dean nodded, leaning over to pass the message verbally to the Novaks. God, I hope this works, he thought to himself, desperate. Sam waited, on edge, until Dean yelled out a command, and then he dove out of the small circle of protection they'd formed and into the pack of alphas. He scratched, kicked, punched, and bit in every direction, and he knew the others were doing the same. All the attention was drawn to them, and they were able to take out enough alphas in the confusion that they might just have a chance of making it out. Sam fought his way back to the ladder, where Dean was already disappearing up the tunnel. He caught sight of Cas sparring furiously at the base of the ladder, and thought for a second that he was too focused on attacking the alphas to remember his own escape, but he flapped his wings and shot up to safety. Sam had his hand on the first rung when an enormous alpha lunged at him, pinning him to the ground. He was barely holding her snapping jaws away from his throat, and he couldn't see how he would make it out alive, she was a lot stronger than him. But he managed to kick at one of her legs, setting her off balance enough for him to throw her off. He jumped up, only on his feet for a moment before he was lifted off the ground. He panicked until he realized he was being propelled towards the sky by powerful golden wings, Gabriel's arms wrapped tightly around him. They flew out of the tunnel, and he crashed clumsily onto Gabe when he landed on the pavement. He hurriedly scrambled over to the manhole to pull the cover back over it, hoping that it would somehow be enough to stop the alphas. All around him the omegas had formed a huddled clump, the little ones clinging to each other and looking around. How long had it been since they'd seen the night sky? Sam wondered, taking in their tired amazement. Dean walked over to him, looking just as exhausted.   
            "We need to find a safe place for these guys..." He trailed off, thinking. "We can't exactly just show up at a hotel. Let's just look for an empty house or something." Dean suggested, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.   
Sam agreed, and they gathered up the omegas and they hurried to leave the alley, worried that the alphas would be able to  attack them again if they were without any witnesses. They would probably have gotten away with it, though. Even if they killed a hundred omegas in a bustling street, the consequence would only be a few weeks of bad media, before the whole thing was covered up. Still, staying in the alleys seemed more dangerous. They finally wandered back out onto the empty streets, and he noticed, now that there was less chance of being caught, just walking seemed to exhaust the omegas. They had to find somewhere to rest, and soon. Sam looked around for any houses that didn't have cars parked out front or lights on, feeling tiredness begin to slow his movements as well. The scratch on his shoulder was stinging, and his head ached dully where the back of it had hit the sewer floor. Dean, who had been leading the group, made his way over to him.   
            "There's an old junkyard up ahead. It looks pretty abandoned, and I think it's the safest place we'll find around here. What do you think?" He asked, sounding as worn out as the rest of them. Sam agreed, and they worked together to usher the dazed omegas through the broken old fence, and they settled down among the rusted cars. Once Sam was sure everyone was as comfortable as they were going to get, he fell into a dreamless sleep the moment he laid down on a torn up car seat.   
              When he woke up, there was a shotgun pointed at his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kind of late, I've been very busy, and I'm trying to write longer chapters (even though they're still kinda short). I probably won't be able to update until next weekend because my grade is going on a camping trip, and the WiFi is most likely terrible. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I updated the explanation a little, so you might want to check that out.

        Sam sat up slowly, cautious of the gun aimed towards his head. A scruffy looking man in a baseball cap was holding the rifle, glaring down at him. Dean was beside him, looking just as tired and confused as he felt.  
          "Are you kids going to tell me why there's about fifty omegas taking a nap in my scrapyard, or am I going to have to make you?" He asked, pushing the gun up against Sam's chin.  
           "We-uh, we just..." He stuttered, trying to come up with a reasonable lie. Dean was being useless next to him, grinning sheepishly. "It's kind of a long story," The man lowered the gun, but kept glaring down at them suspiciously. Eventually, he sighed and glanced around at the still-asleep omegas.  
"There better be a damn good reason for this," He mumbled, mostly to himself, before lowering the rifle all the way. "Tell me what you're doing here, and make it quick, and maybe you'll get out of this without me calling the cops," Sam nodded, pulling himself to his feet sheepishly. He winced when he straightened up all the way, the scratch on his shoulder stinging.  
             "We just needed a place to spend he night. I'm uh, sorry? He mumbled, not wanting to say the whole truth, because it seemed a lot more reckless in the daylight.  
             "Sorry's not going to get you anywhere until you tell me what you're doing here, boy," He barked, and Sam sighed. This man was an alpha, and if he didn't like what they had to say, they would be in serious trouble. The police wouldn't doubt anything he said, especially when it was his word over an omega's. Unfortunately, lying didn't seem like an option either, because there wasn't any believable explanation for the situation besides the truth.  
          "We kind of... Accidentally did a rescue mission, I guess. We heard someone being attacked, and followed them down into the sewers, where we found the rest of these guys. We got them out, but we didn't really plan out here we were going to take them. We were going to leave soon anyway, and I kind of thought this lot was abandoned," He rambled, trying to find a reasonable way to explain what had happened the night before without making them sound like rowdy  criminals.  
        The alpha stared at him for a second, and Sam thought he was about to kick them out, but then he sighed again and put his head in his hand for a moment.  
         "I can't believe this," He seemed to be talking mainly to himself. "I know I'm going to regret it, but you can stay here until you figure things out, but not any longer, you understand? I'm not running a hotel here." He nodded heartily, deciding not to push their luck. His shoulder stung again, and he clutched at it, cursing.  
        "Come with me, I have some bandages for that." The man said, gesturing for Sam to follow him. "And don't think I even want to know how it happened, because I sure as hell don't," Dean stood and went with them to a small house next to a garage and a few cars that looked like they actually worked. They were lead though an entryway cluttered with books, and into a kitchen, which was also full of dusty old books, but with a beer bottle scattered here and there. The man wrapped Sam's arm up silently, while he just sat there, feeling awkward. Eventually, the alpha sat back, studying them.  
         "Do you boys have any names? If you're going to be ducking around in my house, I need to know who I'm yelling at. He asked gruffly, but Sam for the impression he was more bark than bite. The thought almost made him laugh when he scented the man, discovering he was some kind of dog.  
         "I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother Sam." Dean offered his hand, happy to break the heavy silence.  
         "Bobby." The alpha shook his hand, before looking at them with interest. "Wait, you didn't say Winchester, did you?" He asked.  
        "Yeah. Why?" Sam questioned, wondering how this man-Bobby- could have any connection to them.  
           "Because I used to be friends with John Winchester. Does that name ring any bells?"  
         "He's our Dad, actually. How did you know him?"  
         "We were friends when we were younger. Haven't talked to him for years, though. We didn't exactly get along. He's lucky I didn't kick his sorry ass the last time I saw him. What're his boys doing way out here?"  
        Though Sam was curious as to what disagreement Bobby and his father had, he decided to let the subject drop. "He didn't exactly approve of... Well, me," He gestured to himself awkwardly. Even though he'd been getting used to it, it was still embarrassing to tell people he was an omega, since his physical appearance made them assume he was an alpha. Bobby just nodded without question, as he put away the first aid kit he'd used to bandage him. Sam's curiosity got the better of him, and he was about to ask what Bobby and his father had argued about, when there was a knock on the door. One of the omegas walked in, looking around cautiously.  
          "Do you have any food? People are starting to wake up." He muttered, speaking just to Sam while ignoring the alphas completely. Sam saw his brother give an exaggerated roll of his eyes, and kicked him under the table.  
          "I'll see what we have." Bobby said, walking to the kitchen and leaving them to sit in awkward silence. As they waited, a few more omegas crept in, sniffing the air hungrily.  Sam gestured for them to make their way over to the table where he sat, and an older girl walked bravely towards him, while her companions watched nervously.  
        "Could you tell everyone that breakfast is being made, and to come to the house?" He asked, speaking softly, and she nodded. She gathered the other omegas behind her, and then left the house as quietly as they'd entered. As soon as the door closed behind them, Dean kicked him in the leg, hard enough that it would bruise.  
         "What the hell was that for?" He yelled, glaring at his brother.  
          "Because you kicked me for no reason!" He retorted angrily, the metal-and-ice scent of aggression rolling off of him.  
          "I did it because you rolled your eyes! You can't just be rude like that, Dean!" He reprimanded, feeling his temper rise. How could he not notice how scared the omegas were already? He couldn't help them feel safe if Dean was being obnoxious.  
          "Those omegas wouldn't even look at me. I helped save them, and than they go and act like I'm the bad guy!" Dean was shouting as he jumped to his feet, and Sam resisted the instinct to flinch as his brother bared his teeth. He just didn't get it!  
       "It's not all about you! Of course they're all scared of alphas, who do you think trapped them down there in the first place!" He was on his feet now, and though he was taller than Dean by a few inches, his brother didn't back down.  
            "That's not my fault! I'm not going to hurt them, and they should know that!"  
         "How would they know that you're not dangerous? You just smell like another alpha, and, really, I don't blame them for being afraid! How can I know that you'll control yourself and not hurt me or Cas? I mean, you could end up just like dad!" He took another step towards Dean, snarling unintentionally at his brothers challenge, squaring his shoulders. He was seconds away from hitting him when he was pulled back roughly, and the world around him came back into focus. He'd forgotten all about what had been going on around them, and it took a few deep breaths before he was calm enough to let the argument go. Bobby had stepped between them and pushed them apart. Dean sat back down slowly, still glaring at him at Sam.  
           "What the hell are you two doing? There's fifty terrified omegas outside, and you decided this was the right time for some stupid argument?" Bobby growled, and Sam looked down, feeling guilty. He was right, they had more important problems to solve. He could smell bacon cooking in the other room, and realized, ashamed, that he'd sent a stack of books tumbling to the ground in his rage. Sam hurried to pick all of them up, still not meeting Bobby's eyes as he set them down on the table. He was about to apologize but a knock on the door offered a distraction. The Novaks walked in, both of them looking incredibly awkward.  
       "Um, is everything ok? We kind of heard yelling. Like, a lot of yelling." Gabriel mumbled, plopping down in an empty chair next to Sam.  
      "We're good. Just an argument," Sam muttered, not willing to give anymore detail than he had to.  
      "Are these guys part of your rescue mission in which you stay in my house and eat for free?" Bobby grumbled, and Dean nodded sheepishly. "Well, have them help me look for more food. I think we'll need it." He gestured to the omegas that were crowding in the doorway, sniffing the air hungrily.   
         They all worked together to set out as much food as possible, and Bobby's kitchen was worryingly barren by the time they were done. Sam did his best to avoid looking or interacting with Dean, and his brother seemed to be trying to do the same. After he made the announcement that the food was ready, Sam stood by the doorway and counted the omegas, so they would know if anyone got lost. There were forty eight of them, and, despite how thin they were, there was barely any room in Bobby's house when all of them were inside. They ate like wild animals, gulping down everything as fast as physically possible. Sam felt kind of bad the fourth time a younger kid spilled juice on Bobby's carpet, but he was also glad that all of them were able to eat as much as they wanted. He spent the next hour walking around the house, careful not to step on anyone, handing out napkins and watching happily as the all the food was devoured. Now that they had slept and eaten, the group became restless, and after the third time someone asked him what they were going to do, he called for a meeting in the living room. Everyone crammed onto the couches, floors, and tables, knocking books and empty liquor bottles onto the floor.  
          Sam stood up and waited for everyone to quiet down, just to realize he had no idea what to say. They didn't have anything close to a plan, and he was expected to figure something out.  
       "Uh, hi?" He began, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. He shuffled his feet, as the pause went on longer than it should have. Gabriel stepped up next to him, clapping his hands and beaming, and Sam gazed at him, confused.  
       "So, you're probably all wondering what the hell is happening, right?" He exclaimed, speaking easily, and Sam noticed that the few omegas who'd tensed up at an alpha's presence slowly relaxed at his cheerful tone and casual words, as well as the friendly, honeysuckle scent he gave off. "Well, we kind of accidentally rescued you guys, I guess. Now, you obviously can't all stay here, as much as we'd like to see the house get destroyed in a matter of days. Do any of you have relatives you would be safe with?" About thirty people raised their hands, mostly older teens. "Great! Go talk to my brother, Cassie, and he'll try and contact your relatives."  
              He pointed to his brother, who looked overwhelmed as a group of omegas swarmed him. Sam was amazed by how easily Gabriel organized everyone, and within an hour, they had found places for about thirty of the omegas to stay, through phone calls with family members and old friends. Many of them cried when they found out that their relatives were still alive, but some of them were less than pleased. It was easy to identify who had sold the omegas off by their disgust or badly-acted enthusiasm and the mother of one of the omegas actually cursed at her child for trying to contact her. They hung up, the omega was comforted, and the next family member was called. While they were busy with that, Sam searched the web for any organization in the area that could help them. The results were disappointing, to say the least. There were hardly any organizations dedicated to helping omegas, and of the few that were, most were made to help teach omegas to be "acceptable".  
         He did, however, manage to find an omega-exclusive organization pretty close to where they were, called Sanctuary. Even though it was both an orphanage and a recovery center, which sounded ideal for their situation, it seemed a little, well, unorganized. It was funded entirely by donations and run by volunteers, and the organization's website was incredibly outdated and vague. There was a very blurry picture of tired looking man in a bathroom which Sam found disconcerting, but which he decided to ignore. It was only about an eight hour drive, though, and it was the best they were going to get. He made his way through the busy room, where Bobby had begun patching up the cuts and scrapes on the omegas. Sam got Gabe's attention from where the alpha had been entertaining a group of kids across the room. He couldn't help but find it adorable as the conure pulled himself away form the children over dramatically, making them giggle. The alpha bounced over to him, bubbling with energy.  
          "You need something, Sammich? Or were you just unable to resist my amazing looks and wonderful personality?" He asked with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle.  
          "Yeah, right. You wooed me with your terrible jokes," Sam shot back easily, trying not to smile. "But I did actually find a place that might help these guys. It's about eight hours away, in Arizona. I figured we could call in to give them some warning, and drive there early tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?"  
Gabriel agreed, and went to pass the message on to the others (he didn't want to have to talk to Dean, who was helping Cas out with the phone calls), while Sam called the number provided on Sanctuary's website. The phone rang again and again, and he was about to hang up when someone finally answered.  
"This is is Sanctuary, Charlie Bradbury speaking," chirped an eager, out of breath voice on the other end. "How can I help you?"  
"Um, there are about twenty omegas who would like to be checked in to Sanctuary. How soon could we start making arrangements?" He asked, trying to sounds as professional and experienced as possible.  
           There was a pause and muffled conversation on the other line, before the girl spoke up again. "Actually, you could probably drop the omegas off here as early as tomorrow, if you fill out the paperwork when you arrive. If I could just get your name and when you'll arrive , I can set up an appointment, Mr...?"  
       "Sam Winchester. And we'll get there, uh..." He paused, figuring out what time they would have to wake up to get their in the early afternoon. "Around two o'clock, I guess,"  
         "Thank you, mr. Winchester! Well, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow!" The girl, Charlie said, and Sam couldn't help but smile to himself. Even on the phone, she just sounded so peppy it was infectious. He placed the phone back in the receiver just as Gabriel walked back over to him, feeling a lot more confident about Sanctuary's reliability after speaking to Charlie.  
        "We can drop these guys off tomorrow at two, after an appointment," He said, glad now that it seemed like they were actually getting their things together.  
         "That's good, because I already told Dean and Cassie that we were leaving in the morning. Oh, by the way, some of the omega's family members should start getting here soon. Most of them live within the city, so it shouldn't take too long for them too long."  
        "Good. I think Bobby was about to change his mind about letting us stay." He chuckled, gesturing to where a dusty old book was getting torn apart to create a fleet of airplanes as the alpha watched in restrained horror. Gabriel laughed, dashing over and grabbing a plane, then twisting back around and throwing it with surprising accuracy at Sam. It sailed gracefully through the air to hit him directly in the forehead. He stared at the plane where it had landed on the ground for a second, before he burst out laughing. He grabbed it off the floor, crumpled it up, and tossed it back at the alpha. When it hit him square in the chest, Gabe took an unnecessarily long time fake dying, sinking to his knees in slow motion. Sam just rolled his eyes, smiling at his friend's theatrics. Someone cleared their throat loudly behind him, and he turned to see Bobby, who looked unamused.  
         "If you two are done flirting, I was going to send you to the grocery store. It's just a few blocks from here to your left. Because my entire kitchen was destroyed, we need some more food for dinner. " He explained, handing Sam some money. "And it better be a real meal, not that sugary crap you're eating." He glared at Gabriel, who paused in the middle of unwrapping a bar of chocolate, before shrugging and shoving the entire thing into his mouth.  
        "Okay. We'll  be  right back." Sam assured, giving Bobby a look that said he'd keep Gabe's sweet tooth under control.  As he walked through the door from the living room and into the kitchen, Sam glanced back, catching sight of the other omegas. They looked happy and content, though still a little dirty and skittish, and he felt proud. He'd helped them to reach this point. Helped them get out of those tunnels, where they were trapped, and trained, and sold. He knew there were countless other omegas confined in the depths of the sewers, and it made him furious. They had been taken out of their lives to live as pets and objects, to be used to make a profit. But he had helped some of them, and now they would be able to live as children, and be free of those dark cages. He couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought, not stopping in the kitchen or even when they were picking their way through old car parts and wreckage. He only came back to reality when Gabriel nudged him, getting his attention.  
"What're you beaming about, Sasquatch?" He asked, and Sam rolled his eyes at the nickname.  
"I'm just glad that we helped these guys out. It feels good knowing that I changed their lives, and for the better. I mean, I know that things won't just be butterflies and rainbows for them after what they went through, but at least they have the chance to live the rest of their lives how they choose, y'know?" He explained, feeling a little ridiculous at his own cheesiness,  
Gabriel hummed in agreement beside him, and he relaxed. They fell into a comfortable silence all throughout the short walk, and by the time they were standing in front of the small grocery store, Sam was smiling again. The store was little but comfortable, large windows letting the late afternoon sunlight stream in and light up the shelves of produce and canned foods. The store was mostly empty, only a few other shifters buying food here and there. Sam turned to Gabriel to ask him what they should buy, but he was no longer behind him. He spotted him making a beeline to a small shelf filled with colorful candies, and sighed, exasperated. He tried to inconspicuously get his attention, but when he all he'd managed to do was confuse an old lady, he gave up and made his way over to the shelf and in time to catch him before he could slip a fourth chocolate bar into his pocket.  
           "Gabriel, we don't have enough money to get food for dinner and to satisfy your bizarre need for candy," He reprimanded, watching as Gabriel groaned and put all the chocolate back, as well as three bags of skittles, a lollipop, and an entire chocolate rabbit.  
          "Where the hell did you-I don't even want to know. Anyway, let's just buy some microwaveable stuff or something and get this over with." He grumbled, exasperated. Gabe sighed but walked with him to the frozen foods section, where they grabbed the cheapest stuff they could find. After they had enough to feed about thirty people (Sam figured that some of the omegas would have been claimed by relatives by then), they still had enough money to buy a few boxes of cereal, and a bag of Hershey's kisses for Gabriel. As they checked out, the cashier asked them what they were buying so much food for, and Sam froze. Were they drawing too much attention to themselves? He wondered, his mind going blank of any lie to tell. He tensed up even more when Gabriel wound their fingers together, holding his hand tightly.  
"The whole family's in town for the wedding," Answered Gabriel casually. Oh. Sam relaxed instantly, catching onto the alpha's plan. "The little ones eat so much, it feels like we're spending more on food than the actual wedding." He continued, and Sam nodded along. The cashier laughed, handing them the last of their grocery bags and bidding them goodnight. Sam only realized they were still holding hands when they had been walking for a few minutes, and he quickly pulled apart, blushing. Gabe noticed, and he turned to him, smirking like the cat who caught the canary.  
"What's wrong, honey?" He asked throwing his arm around Sam's shoulder, tugging him down a little in the process. "Are you mad at me?" He did fake puppy eyes and Sam scoffed, but he couldn't help but blush harder.  
"How about I make it up to you with a kiss?" Gabe asked, leaning into his space. He turned, heart beating a million miles an hour, to see the conure dangling the bag of chocolate kisses in front of his face, cackling as he danced away down the sidewalk. He cursed, his face ridiculously flushed as he sprinted to catch up with the bird.

The rest of the afternoon and evening blew by as Sam worked hard to keep everyone organized, fed, and happy. True to his prediction, there were only 19 omegas left to eat dinner at around seven. Though it had been hectic, they'd done their best to interview all of the guardians that arrived, just to make sure they were trustworthy. Bobby gave his number out to them reluctantly, so they could call if there were any problems.  
When the last omega had been picked up by his crying older sister, something occurred to him, and Sam got Cas to help him gather up the remaining omegas. He sat down with them in a circle, and tried to make the environment as comfortable as possible. At first, he wanted the alphas to go to a different room, but decided that maybe Dean needed to hear what the omegas had to say for themselves. His brother complained, but gave in and leaned against the doorway across from him.  
"So, we're going to take you guys to a shelter tomorrow. It's a place where you can find homes and recover." He announced, noticing the wariness in many of the omegas' eyes. "It seems like a trustworthy place, and if it's not, we'll just come back here. Don't worry, Cas and I will be there if you need us, and we'll keep an eye on you guys. You all should go to bed soon so you can be ready in the morning, but before that, we have something to ask you guys. Who kept you down there? And why?" He questioned, making sure to keep his voice calm and maintain eye contact. He didn't know why, but he just knew it would have helped keep him calm. "I know it's hard, but we really need to know what's happening so we can help you out." He urged gently.  
The wave of nervousness that washed over the omegas was obvious; they fidgeted, tugging on their clothes or scratching at their arms, and they all seemed to look anywhere but him. Finally, after a long pause, the young boy who had reported to them in the morning spoke up, staring determinedly at the torn up carpet.  
"There was a group of alphas that grabbed me on my way to school. They took me down into the sewer and into one of those cages. They told me that if I behaved, they would let me out, but I was scared. I wouldn't go with them, so they kept me there," He confessed, his quiet voice the only sound in the room. "If other shifters were good, they would be let out and taken to somewhere else. I never saw the faces of the alphas who took them away, it was too dark to see anything, but we overhead them sometimes. They talked about making deals, about selling us off when we were trained. Once or twice, different alphas were brought in to look at us, to see if they were interested in buying us. What would they buy us for?" He asked, looking at Sam as though he expected him to know all the answers. He shifted awkwardly, thinking. He didn't know how to find a way to explain the issue which he himself had only been fully experiencing for a few weeks. Most of the kids were pretty young; the oldest few were around fifteen, while the youngest were about eight. He didn't want to scare them, but he also didn't want them to be unprepared.  
"Well... As omegas, we're supposed to act a certain way. We have to be submissive, know how to cook and clean, and we have to do whatever an alpha wants. Those shifters were trying to get you to be like that," He began, choosing his words carefully. "Once you listened to them-"  
"They would've taught you how to be a proper wife." Castiel interrupted, sitting perfectly still with his hands folded in his lap as he stared solemnly at the torn up carpet from his chair. "They would have made it sound like the only way you could be useful was to raise pups and tend to your alpha. You'd learn to sit and look pretty, to flutter your eyelashes to get what you wanted. You would come to know that your own worth was defined by how much others wanted you. And then, when you were ready, they would collar you, and you'd be shown off to a group of alphas. If you were submissive and fuckable enough, you'd be bought. You're all very lucky that you are out here now." He spoke gently, but Sam got the impression that there was a hardness underneath, like a stone wall covered by flowering vines, and he realized yet again that Cas had experienced this system for himself. The omegas sat quietly, staring up at the crow with shock and then understanding. Sam looked up in time to see Dean watching Cas carefully, and realized the firm, burning wood scent of disagreeable alpha from earlier had softened into something sweet and protective, reminding him of hot chocolate on a snowy day. The alpha turned to see him watching, and quickly looked away, scowling, but the scent remained.  
          "Well, you guys should probably get to bed. We're leaving pretty early in the morning, so try not to stay up any later." Sam  advised, before going to help Bobby bring out extra blankets and pillows to make improvised beds on the floor. Though it was only ten by the time he'd gotten everyone settled down, Sam was having trouble keeping his eyes open. It had been a really long day, and the morning seemed years ago. Bobby seemed to notice his weariness and asked if they had a place to stay for the night, and he remembered that they'd checked into a hotel the night before, and that all their stuff was there. He set off around the house to get the others, finding Gabe in the kitchen trying to be subtle about eating four pieces of chocolate at once, and Dean and Cas talking quietly in the living room. Bobby agreed to drop them off at the hotel, but only because he couldn't stand to have them around his house anymore, as he put it. Sam barely remembered the drive back and checking in, and was already half asleep by the time he and Dean were in their room. He came back to reality, though, when he started speaking.  
              "You were right. I shouldn't have been an ass to those omegas. I was just tired-" his brother started, before pausing and rubbing exasperate hand at his forehead. "No, no, I'm not going to make excuses. What I mean is that I can't understand what you or Cas or any other omega have been through and have to deal with, but I can try and help you deal with it." He said, and then, as if to make up for actually dealing with his emotions, he punched him in arm. "But I still get to kick your ass, Sammy." He teased, and Sam smiled.  
           "Like you even could, Jerk," He retorted, rolling his eyes.  
        "Bitch," Dean responded, flicking he lights off. Sam fell asleep in the blink of an eye, the uncomfortable blankets and stuff pillow not even stopping him for a moment.

Suddenly he was in what he knew was his bedroom, but somehow wasn't. It was a tiny space painted completely white, with an enormous door looming towards him. He sat and stared at him for an eternity, feeling an invisible pressure around his neck slowly increasing, choking him and cutting harsh lines into his neck. And then, just when he though he would pass out from lack of air, the large door flew and his father came through it, but he looked different, more menacing than he remembered. His teeth were sharp and his eyes full of hatred as he began screaming at him, seeming to become less and less familiar with each word.  
"How dare you! Do you know what you've done to this family? We've become a joke! One of our only two sons, a weak omega whore! Why couldn't you be an alpha, like your brother? We needed a leader for our pack, but instead we get a disgraceful, needy bitch. You let down the pack, and you let down me! You're worthless! You aren't good for anything! You wouldn't be a proper omega and let us sell you, like the scum you are. You even took away your brother, my only real son, and now our pack is doomed, and it's all your fault! You ruined everything!" He roared in a terrible, distorted voice, stepping closer to him. Sam tried to defend himself or get away, but found his words got caught in his throat and his body held immobile. The words worked their way through his insides, piercing through him like blades. Shame boiled and bubbled in his chest, pushing it's way up his throat and choking him, even as the pressure on his neck continued to crush him.  
Then, in a flash, his father was gone along with the weight on his throat, replaced by the ugly wallpaper red wallpaper and darkness of an unfamiliar room. He sat on a bed, unable to move as the door opened, his heart beating wildly against his chest as slitted pupils stared at him, erratic terror making him dizzy. Burning warmth beat against him as Ruby slunk closer, forked tongue flicking out to taste him. She hissed terrible words he couldn't understand into his ear as the heat danced across his flesh, burning him inside and out. The world shattered into pieces, flashes of broken-glass memories cutting his skin becoming the background to the sensation of claws tearing sharp lines up and down his back and the razor sharp pain of fangs piercing his throat.  
"Sam! Sammy!" He woke with a start to see Dean above him, staring at him as though he was a bomb about to go off. He was on the floor, tangled in a mass of blankets. He looked to where Dean held his wrist tightly, noticing, bewildered, that his fingernails were tipped with red  
"I-what happened?" He asked, dazed and confused. Dean turned on the light, cautiously not taking his eyes off of him.  
"You started yelling in your sleep, man. And when I tried to wake you up, you freaked out and fell off the bed," Dean explained, helping to lift him to his feet. He walked slowly to the mirror, his pulse racing with adrenaline as he took in his own fearful reflection in the glass. There was a small trickle of blood running down from his neck, a deep scratch exactly where the now faded mating bite had been. He had to resist the urge to rake his nails over it in a desperate attempt to remove the claim that had already faded. He knew it was gone, but he could still feel the unimaginable weight of it deep within his skin, as though it would never go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took forever. A ton of stuff happened, and on top of that, I'm trying to make my chapters longer and better. This one is 5,500 or something, and I know that's not fantastic, but it's the best I've done. Also, I'm very proud if it. By the way, everything I write is written on my phone and posted through my kindle fire, because I can't use a computer for that at the moment, so I'm very sorry if there's any weird formatting issues. (Im pretty sure a note a I put on the explanation is moving to each chapter as I post it.)Thanks for bearing with me!


	13. Chapter Twelve

The mark is gone, it's gone, it's gone, Sam told himself, turning away from the mirror. Suddenly feeling wide awake, he caught the band aid Dean threw to him,  wiping the blood onto his sleeve and putting it on. He made his way to the bathroom, wetting a towel and wiping his face and neck with it. He wanted to speak, to put words to the fear clawing at his insides, but the words got stuck in his throat. He stepped back into the bedroom, not meeting his brother's eyes in shame. He was eighteen, but he was still having nightmares. What if I am just a weak, emotional omega? A voice at the back of his mind hissed.  
     "Are you okay, man?" Dean asked, obviously trying to sound casual.  
    Sam hesitated, torn between telling his brother how much his dream had shaken him and worrying that it would make him realize that he really was just weak.  
    "I... I just had a nightmare. I'll be fine." He said finally, hoping that he sounded calm enough to believe. Dean didn't seem convinced, but he didn't argue, for which Sam was thankful. His heart was still beating wildly, but he knew that Dean would treat him like a helpless kid if he knew just how shaken he was. Even if he wasn't, he wanted to at least pretend that he was brave. The light went out again, and Sam climbed back into bed. He checked the time on his phone once his brother's breathing had turned to snores, dismayed that it was only three. He'd been so exhausted the the night before, but now, every time he began drifting off, adrenaline would shoot through him, making sleep impossible. With nothing to distract him, he couldn't help but think about his nightmares. What was wrong with him? He'd had a good day. Nothing was wrong, so why did he feel like he was in danger?  
He sat up in bed, trying to reason with himself. You're fine, Sam. The mating bite is gone. Dad is with the pack at home. You're fine. You're fine. You're fine. He repeated it over and over in his head, hands clasped tightly together as he tried to make himself believe it. The weight of the mating  bite persisted, and he occasionally found his fingers picking at the band aid, and quickly pulled them back to his lap. Sleep overcame him occasionally, but he was woken each time by flashes of his previous dream: the gleam of fangs and Ruby's voice hissing in his ear; his father, twisted and menacing, standing above him and yelling as he choked on his own cowardice. Finally, Sam gave up on getting any rest, slipping out from under the blankets and creeping to the window. He sat on the sill, staring out into the night sky, trying to collect his thoughts. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. He knew that he was safe, that nothing and was going to happen, but he couldn't crush the underlying fear that rested just below the surface of his thoughts. He felt jittery and nervous, like he should run, but nothing was chasing him. Eventually, after hours of flinching at every strange noise or sudden movement outside the window, he heard Dean groan behind him. Sam turned to see the alpha blinking awake, and walked quickly to the bathroom. He wiped his face off again and swept a hand through his hair, though his reflection still stared back at him, dark circles under glazed eyes. Sam sighed, walking out to see Dean tying up his shoes. He grabbed his bags, which he'd been too tired to even unpack the night before, and avoided Dean's eyes. He knew his brother was staring at him, and that he knew he hadn't slept, but he didn't want to bring it up. Dean had always been overprotective, which had been nice at times, but sometimes he felt like he was being smothered. It had gotten worse since he'd presented, too. Dean was just trying to keep him safe, and he knew it, but it made him feel like he wasn't able to protect himself. He'd been eighteen for months, and that was legally an adult for shifters. For the most part, only betas went to college, and even that wasn't very common, because there were limited career options based on one's designation. Alphas would get the top positions no matter their age or education, while betas had to work harder to get more difficult jobs; omegas weren't even expected to try and get jobs. It was legal, but it was looked down upon, especially if you wanted a career that was "meant for alphas". Really, the only respectable options for an omega were to become a nanny, or marry the first rich alpha that walked by. He should have been trusted to take care of himself at his age, but Dean still hovered over him like he was a helpless kid.  
    Fortunately, he didn't say anything, and uncomfortable silence surrounded them in the elevator and until they met up with Cas and Gabe outside the hotel. The Novaks seemed to pick up on the anxious mood from the brothers, because very little was said as they walked to Bobby's house. Sam was relieved when they entered the crowded, noisy distraction that was Bobby's house. Everyone was getting ready, running hurriedly through the rooms trying to find their friends, and it took them a while to pick pick their way over to where Bobby was sitting, a beer in his hand.  
    "Took you long enough to get here," the alpha grumbled, standing up and leading them back outside. "I fixed up an old school bus that should hold everyone. You'd better get going, I can't have these kids in my house for any longer."  
      "Thanks, Bobby. We owe you." Dean responded, clapping Bobby on the shoulder.  
    "Damn right you owe me." Was all the shifter muttered as he walked back into the house, followed by Cas. A few seconds later, the omegas started trickling out, and Sam lead them over to the bus. It was old and kind of rusty, but it looked like it at least worked. He made sure there was enough room for everyone to sit comfortably, and stood by the door, counting as they went in to check that they all got onto the bus. Once he was sure they were all there, he turned to his friends. He paused when he saw Cas staring at him quizzically, slightly unnerved.  
    "What?" He asked, wondering if he had something on his face.  
    "You look exhausted, Sam. Are you alright?" Castiel asked, and he shifted nervously from foot to foot. Things were going so well, he couldn't make them worry about him.  
    "I had some trouble sleeping last night, I was so nervous for today. Come on, we can't be late." He lied, climbing up into the rickety old vehicle. He flopped down in a worn seat near the front of the bus, looking back to make sure everyone had settled in. The others followed him in, Dean taking the driver's seat. Gabriel sat down next to him, and he tried not to sigh. He had been hoping to have a seat to himself so he could avoid any more questions that would require lying. But, when, even after a few minutes of driving, he still hadn't said anything, Sam glanced over to see if he was still there. The conure was staring off into space, and Sam stared at him. It might have been how worn out he was, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. The early morning  sunlight drifted in and reflected off his eyes, illuminating them with golden fire. Sam shook at his head, feeling like a teenage girl with a crush. Wait, what? He didn't have feelings for Gabriel, did he? Sure, he was a great friend, and very...attractive, but there's was no way that Sam had a crush on him. He was just... tired. Yep. Definitely.  
    He slammed his head into the seat next to him and groaned. He was tired enough already, he didn't need ridiculous feelings to deal with also.  
    "Uh... are you dying? Or is there just no reason for that noise you're making. You sound like a dying goat." Came Gabe's voice from his left, and he groaned louder. Finally, he sat up, yawning as it hit him just how much he wanted to be asleep.  
    "I'm fine, just a little tired." Which was the truth. Well, the truth without a few details, but it still counted as honesty, right?  
    "Go ahead and sleep. I'll keep anyone from drawing on your face. Well, anyone but me, but that's the best you're gonna get."  
    Sam chuckled, before giving in and leaning back against the worn leather with his eyes closed. The sun warmed his face, and the constant babble that surrounded him was comforting rather than annoying. For a few minutes, he just listened to little bits of different conversations, the noise keeping his thoughts from wandering back to his nightmare. He thought instead about Sanctuary, and if it was reliable. The young woman, Charlie, had seemed nice enough, he thought to himself. Eventually, Sam nodded off into a dreamless sleep, still wondering what the shelter would be like.  
    When Sam woke, Gabriel was shaking his arm, and the other shifters were filing off of the bus. He scrambled to his feet, worried that they were late, only to see Gabe laughing at him. He cursed and shoved him half-heartedly, before hurrying out to where everyone else had gathered. They were in a little playground surrounded by a few worn down buildings. Across the street was a squat, white building with sign that read Sanctuary hanging above the door. It was plain and insignificant, and Sam wondered, not for the first time, exactly how well the organization was funded. He cast an uneasy look at Dean, who just shrugged, before leading the way across the street.  
    Sam pressed the worn intercom button, and the entire group seemed to take a deep breath in anticipation as they waited for a response.  
    "Who is it?" Crackled Charlie's voice through the system, and Sam relaxed.  
    "Sam Winchester. We're, uh, here for an appointment." He replied. He checked his phone, and found that they were right on time, at two-fifteen.  
    "Come right in. There's a waiting room for the clients, and Jo will take you to our office. Don't worry, it's not as formal as it sounds." She chirped, and he nodded, before realizing that she couldn't see him.  
    "I understand." He assured, relieved that it wouldn't be some sort of rigorous examination. He pulled open the door, gesturing for the others to follow him. He stepped into a spacious room, filled with a few threadbare couches and scuffed chairs. There was a large, puffy cushion tucked into the corner, and two doors along the opposite wall. Sam realized with a jolt that there was what appeared to be a very large, spotty cat on the cushion. It looked like a weird mix of a small leopard and a smaller tiger,  covered with blonde-orange fur that was patterned with a mix of spots and stripes. He wondered for a moment if it was some kind of exotic pet, before he caught the familiar scent of a beta. A shifter, then. The cat stretched, and shifted easily into a young girl, who looked to be about Dean's age. She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes; she was very pretty, but Sam immediately got the impression that she was not someone he'd want to mess with.  
    "I'm Jo. If you all could make yourselves comfortable..." She said to the omegas, who awkwardly sat down on the assortment of furniture, before turning to face them. "I'm assuming you're here for the appointment. I'll take you to the office in just a second, but first, any alphas need to put this on." She pulled a small spray bottle out of her pocket and handed it to Dean.  
    "What is this, perfume?" He asked, sniffing it and pulling a face. "It smells like flowers and shit."  
    "Scent concealer. Alpha scent can make the omegas nervous, so you're going to have to put it on, or leave." She explained, and Dean reluctantly sprayed some on himself while muttering grumpily, followed by Gabriel.  
    Jo lead them through a doorway off to the side, into a cramped room. There was a massive desk pushed against one wall, and a couch squished against the other, with only a little bit of space in between.  The walls were decorated with many posters, which were mostly a combination of  Harry Potter, video games Sam didn't recognize, and assorted mythical weapons. Another beta with vibrant red hair, who he assumed was Charlie, was sitting on the desk with her legs dangling off. Jo moved to stand next to her, and they all awkwardly squeezed onto the small couch. Sam fought to keep himself from being crushed into Gabriel's lap, cursing inside his head as he moved to the arm of the couch.  
    "Hi! I'm Charlie, this is my girlfriend Jo, and we run sanctuary. Nice to meet you." She beamed. "Now that the formalities are over, we're going to tell you a little bit about our organization. Then we can get to the fun stuff, like legal documents."  
    "Sanctuary is a place where struggling omegas can come to heal, and even find homes, if they are underage. We provide a relaxing, stress-free environment for a peaceful recovery, as well as group therapy." Jo continued, the words well rehearsed and neat. She hopped up onto the desk next to Charlie and seemed to relax into herself a bit. "It was actually started by some guy named Chuck,  but he just disappeared a few years back. Charlie was working for him at the time, so she just took over, and I decided to help her out. This is the largest group of people we've had since then, and we've lost all of our volunteers. It's not gonna be an easy job, so we don't blame you if you have second thoughts about relying on us." She said bluntly.  
    "Well, we couldn't find anywhere else better, so I think we'll risk it. And, uh, maybe we could help out?" He offered, while glancing at his friend's to see if that was okay.  
    "We'd love to help, really!" Dean offered with a little too much enthusiasm, and Sam wondered if he was thinking about their fight from the day before.  
    "Oh, good. We were kind of hoping you'd offer, actually. We can handle most of it ourselves, but we just need a little help here and there. Also, as bad as it sounds, we don't have any omega staff members, so now we can get a more diverse perspective. All right, you can all just sign here, and we'll get to work." Charlie thanked them, pushing a few papers towards them. Sam skimmed them before signing, making sure to read the fine print. He had wanted to be a lawyer, after all. Charlie stood, and gestured for them to follow her back out into the waiting room. Before they could follow, however, Jo stepped in the doorway, blocking the exit. She turned to face them, crossing her arms and leaning back against the doorframe.  
    "Look, I'm sure you're all great, but let's get one thing straight. Our clients come first. If you cause any trouble, especially you two"-she glared at Dean and Gabriel, who both looked taken aback-"I won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you. Are we clear?" She questioned, and Sam nodded vigorously along with the others. Yeah, he did not want to mess with this chick. Jo was out the door with a flash, and he didn't hesitate to get out of their as fast as possible. Charlie was waiting for them, looking slightly exasperated.  
    "Babe, we've talked about this. Please stop threatening people?" She implored, and Jo huffed, but she was hiding a smile."Seriously, she means well, her way of showing just involves knives. We really are committed to doing anything in our power to help these omegas. Now, on to the tour!" Charlie exclaimed, stalking quickly through the door farthest to the right. Sam followed into a cozy, sunlit room full of bean bags and a few tables covered with scented candles. There was a little bookshelf, crammed with everything from brightly-colored children's books to teen romance novels to manuals on home and gardening for adults. The smell of lavender and rosemary surrounded them, and Sam breathed in deeply, his shoulders dropping.  
    "This is our classroom. The area is designed to be a calming and safe environment. We teach about multiple coping methods, safety measures, and more. Our main goals are to help our clients recover from whatever they've been through, find jobs and homes for them out in the world, and make a space where they are safe to speak their minds and be there own people. A variety of lessons are provided, because we get a lot of different age groups. We occasionally get local experts to come in and teach workshops and such. When nothing else is going on, the space is also used our living room." Jo explained.  
    Next, through a door to the left, was the dining room and the kitchen. The two rooms were separated only by a shower curtain patterned with rubber ducks. Charlie told them that the building had originally been a grocery store, and they'd run out of funds before before they could actually put up a real wall. In the dining area was a very long dining table, and a bunch of different styles of chairs. Some of them looked like they would belong to old rich grandmothers, while others looked more suited to an elementary school. On the other side of the curtain there was a line of stoves, two dishwashing machines, an enormous fridge, and a few cabinets overflowing with cluttered dishes. After that, they were lead into the bathroom. Some shower stalls lined the wall to the left, and bathroom stalls on the opposite wall, with a few sinks to the right. It reminded Sam of the bathroom at the sleep-away camp he'd gone to, with odd puddles on the floor and rust coating the shower heads. He was eager to get out of there, into the considerably nicer sleeping quarters. There was a row of five bunk beds on either side of the room, a stack of extra blankets and pillows in one corner, and a little door that read storage.  
    "So, I know it's not exactly luxurious, but what do you think?" Charlie inquired, looking slightly apprehensive.  
    "I think it's quite nice. It has everything that's necessary, and more. This place would have been ideal for me." Castiel responded, smiling gently. A flash of understanding passed over Jo's face, and Sam thought he saw her nod slightly at the crow.  
    "Thank you. It's very nice to hear that." She acknowledged sincerely. "We've probably kept everyone else waiting long enough, let's get going." She said to the rest of them, leading the way back to the waiting room. The omegas looked up as soon as they entered, anticipating any news.            
    "Well, we checked everything out, and this place seems like it'll be perfect for you guys! We're going to stick around and help out, so don't worry.  I guess Charlie and Jo will help you get moved in." Sam explained, watching as the betas showed the group into the other rooms. He was glad that they'd decided to stay in town and help out. Now they had something to work towards, and they wouldn't just be wandering like before. Lately, it seemed when he wasn't too busy to think, he thought too much. He glanced around the empty street, the gentle wind of early summer blowing through his hair. Despite the decrepit buildings and the trash scattered around, it really was a nice area. There was the little park across the street, and an empty lot to the right of Sanctuary that was filled with blooming wildflowers. Sam resisted the urge to pick a few, wondering if it was something he'd have wanted to do before presenting. Had he always acted like this? He tried to focus on what they were going to do now to get his mind off of it.  
"So, we need to find someplace to stay if we're sticking around to help out. How're we doing on money?" He asked turning to the Novaks, who had brought all of their money with them.  
"We have enough to rent a small apartment and pay for necessities, like food and clothing, for at least two or three weeks. But it we're going to need a steady income, and as soon as possible. I would like to avoid returning to a life of thievery if possible, but I don't see many alternatives." Castiel stated solemnly. " I'm going to have to become a stripper." He concluded seriously, while Dean immediately burst out laughing.  
When he'd finally collected himself, he turned back to the omega, still chuckling slightly. "You're not becoming a stripper, Cas. We have plenty of alternatives, which don't involve any pole dancing, lingerie, and glitter. Besides, we've got a little time to figure it out, and it's not like we haven't made it on microwaved meals and macaroni before, right, Sammy?" He nodded in agreement, before seeing the looks of confusion on their friend's faces.  
"I thought you were part of a wolf pack? My impression was that packs were relatively secure environments." Castiel said, and Sam shrugged.  
"I guess, in some ways, it was. But our dad was very driven by traditional pack rules. That meant he was the one totally in control of everything, and we all had to try and get on his good side if we wanted anything. Basically, he had total control over what we did, even if he thought it was for our safety. We were treated a little better than our cousins, but I still got Dean to ask him if I wanted anything. He was Dad's favorite, and would've become the alpha of our pack if he'd stayed." Sam explained.  
"I'm sure Dean would have made a far better alpha than your father." Cas praised, and Dean beamed, his face turning slightly red. Sam thought back to all of the times Dean had talked on and on about when he would be alpha, and how excited he had been. His brother had always looked up to their father, and had wanted to become as great of a leader as him, but he really was already better than him.  
"Anyway, when we were young, our Mom was killed by a lone wolf, and our Dad went after him. For a few years, he was barely around, because he would leave with the other adults to hunt him down. Dean was the oldest, so he would take care of me and our cousins. Dad finally killed the lone wolf when I was about nine, and when he came back, he brought a new mate. Neither of them were in it for the romance. Dad needed an alpha female to help him run the pack, and she needed a new pack for herself. Things settled down after that, but Dean was still the one who took care of me most of the time."  
"We should probably find an apartment." Dean recommended, trying to move the attention off of himself. Sam decided to wait until later to tease him about it, and instead pointed out the apartment building across the street. The red brick was faded and chipped, and the sign outside the door was rotting away, but it looked better than some of the motels they'd been staying in. They met with the landlord, and got him to give them a tour of an affordable, if cramped apartment. There were two bedrooms, a small living room, a kitchen area, and a bathroom. It was cramped, but it was affordable, and it was everything they needed. They signed the documents and paid the down payment, before going back to the school bus to get their bags. None of them had much more than their clothes, toiletries, and phones, so it didn't take them long to get settled in. Eventually, Sam ended up sitting on the tattered couch, watching reality shows on the tiny TV. He checked his phone, realizing that it was almost five already.  
"Guys, we need to get that bus back to Bobby's house, and let him know we're staying here." He called, unwilling to get up. Besides, the space was so small, and the walls so thin, that everything was clearly audible, which had started grinding on his nerves almost immediately. He didn't want to hear it every time anyone moved an inch. Dean emerged from the smaller bedroom with Cas tailing after him, where they'd been talking quietly. Gabe turned from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, and Sam was reminded once again how little space they had.  
"I'll go," Dean offered. "Cas, you wanna come with me? I could use the company."  
"I would love to. We can pick up some dishes and furniture on the way, as well." The crow answered, and the two stared at each for a drawn out moment. Sam glanced at Gabe, resisting the urge to snicker. The alpha smirked back at him, waggling his eyebrows, and he had to hide his cackle with a cough. Dean glared at him, and he shot him a thumbs up from behind Cas. Dean grumbled,  grabbing the confused omega and pulling him out the door, promising to return the next day. As soon as they were gone, Sam keeled over laughing, breathless and giddy. Gabriel joined him, and it was several minutes before they were able to compose themselves. Every time they looked at each other, they started giggling again. After several more minutes of uncontrollable laughter, Sam flopped down on the couch, out of breath and happy. Gabriel perched next to him, still chuckling slightly.  
"Dude, it's just a hunch, but I think Dean and Cas might be into each other," He joked, setting them off on another bout of laughter. "But seriously, I'm glad that Dean finally found someone he really likes. He doesn't talk about it because he doesn't want to compromise his fragile manly-ness, but he's actually kind of a romantic sap. He's just never been with someone who he felt comfortable enough to share it with. Let's just hope he's ever brave enough to actually get things started with Cas." He confessed.  
"I'm glad too. Unless he hurts my little brother, because then I will kill him, no questions asked." Gabriel threatened, though his voice was teasing rather than serious.  
"I think we can trust him on this one. Do you wanna order a pizza? I'm starving." Sam asked, pulling out his phone when he received a nod in response. Though they argued briefly about what kind of pizza to get (he wanted a veggie pizza while Gabe wanted pineapple), they compromised eventually. Twenty minutes later, and they were back on the couch, now with dinner. Sam wolfed down his slice and grabbed another, suddenly realizing that it was just him and Gabriel until Dean and Cas got back the next day. He knew that it wasn't actually a big deal for friends to hang out for that long by themselves (because they were just friends, he told himself),but his mind was already making it seem like anything and everything was going to go wrong. He turned back to the TV, deciding to just ignore the irrational part of his brain that was churning out possible outcomes to the situation, ranging from a cheesy romance novel scene to a scenario where he caused an apocalypse because he said something embarrassing. They managed to find a decent movie, and spent the rest of the evening commenting on it. A few hours later and Sam still felt wide awake, even though it was late at night and the alpha was yawning beside him.  
"Well, I think I'm going to hit the hay. Oh, by the way, there's two twin beds in the smaller bedroom, and a queen in the other. So, if we take the twins..." Gabe began.  
"Then our brothers will have to share the queen." Sam finished, grinning. He faked a yawn, waiting until the conure had left the room before he stood up, slipping his phone into his pocket. He quickly changed and brushed his teeth, before stepping quietly into the bedroom. Gabe was sitting cross legged on the bed, and Sam resisted the urge to back out and sleep on the queen just so he didn't have to deal with a few minutes of awkward silence. Instead, he switched off the light, bid the alpha goodnight, and crawled into the bed. It was firm and uncomfortable, and the scratchy blankets did nothing to help him sleep. He waited for what felt like forever for sleep to overcome him, but he just wasn't tired. Sam was in the middle of cursing himself for sleeping on the ride there when the light flickered on, revealing Gabriel observing him knowingly.  
"Can't sleep, huh?" He asked, and the omega nodded, deciding it would be useless to lie. "Wanna talk about it?" Sam hesitated, still not wanting to be a burden, before deciding that he could trust Gabriel.  
"I had nightmares last night, and that's why I was so tired. I'm not sure if it's because I slept so much on the bus or if it's because I don't want to risk having the nightmare again, but I don't think I could fall asleep if I wanted to." He mumbled, feeling childish for about the fifth time that day, but Gabriel's reassuring smile calmed his nerves. Still, he couldn't help but fidget, the silence of the room pressing down on him in the dim light.  
"I get it. I'll stay up with you, then."  
"You don't have to do that. It's better that just one of us is sleep deprived and useless, rather than both."  
"Too bad. I've already made my decision, and you'll just have to deal with it." The alpha stated with finality, and Sam sighed, knowing that there was no point trying to talk him out of it.  
"Well, then what are we going to do? It's midnight, it's not like there's anything to do."  
"Remember that little playground outside? That's something we can do."  
"You want to play on a playground. In the middle of the night."  
"Think about it this way: if we run around for a while, you might get so tired that you just pass out. See, we can say we did it in the name of science." Gabriel urged, and Sam laughed. It was ridiculous, but there was nothing stopping them.  
So he let Gabe drag him out the door of their tiny apartment, trying not to laugh as they dashed wildly down the stairs, and out onto the sidewalk. He didn't stop running until they were on the dry grass of the little playground, pausing to catch his breath. Sam couldn't help but gasp when he turned to see that the alpha had shifted to reveal his wings. He was mesmerized as the moonlight gleamed off of the glossy feathers, illuminating each shade of yellow, green and turquoise as the shifter ruffled them. He was reminded again that Gabriel, above all else, was an alpha: powerful and commanding. He subconsciously materialized  his ears and tail, but quickly shifted back when he had to resist the ridiculous urge to tuck his tail between his legs and roll onto his back in a sign of submission. He felt his face burn at the thought. Get yourself, together, Sam. He might be an omega, but that didn't mean he had to surrender every time an alpha showed off. He snapped back to reality when Gabriel shot into the air, landing on the tented roof of the rickety playhouse. He balanced precariously, fixing Sam with a grin that reminded him of the Cheshire Cat.  
"Well, are you coming or not?" He crowed, and Sam laughed, bounding up after him. It was almost completely dark, the only light coming from the moon and a flickering old streetlamp. Still, he ran into the darkness, climbing up the rickety wooden tower beneath Gabriel, his claws leaving deep marks on the wood as he did so. He scrambled up onto the platform, jumping slightly when Gabriel poked his head down, his hair hanging down and framing his face.Then, in a flash, he had dived onto the monkey bars, which formed a bridge to a taller tower with a slide. Sam went giddily after him, making a game of trying to bat at Gabriel's feet while the shifter taunted him from above. He felt like a small child, but the fierce, surreal thrill of the night made him unable to care. It pounded through his veins, and he felt like nothing existed out of his own tiny, insignificant world. He struggled up to the top of the bars, only to have Gabe grab him by the hand and pull him up easily. He clutched at the shorter man's shoulders, teetering dangerously as his sneakers slipped on the smooth metal. He just laughed, and Sam found himself steadied as he was wrapped up in his wings for a brief moment. He gasped in surprise and awe, hoping that the alpha didn't notice. Then Gabriel was gone, shooting into the air, forming a stunning silhouette with the moon as his backdrop. Sam couldn't help but stare at him, watching as he swooped down onto the swing set, shifting into a little bird as he landed. He started after him, but froze when he felt the strange dampness in between his thighs. He recalled that happening during his heat, but he was in control of his body and a normal temperature. He took a deep breath to calm the rapid pounding of his heart, and resumed his path to his friend, his face turning crimson as he realized what his body was doing. He did his best to ignore it, instead bolting down the slide and across the small patch of grass, sighing exaggeratedly when the alpha flitted away again at the last second.  
Even though it was not built to be used by young adults, much less in the middle of the night, it turned out that a rickety little playground was exactly what Sam needed. After roughly an hour of running wildly around the playground in a strange game of chase, he was starting to yawn, and Gabriel led him back up the stairs and into their apartment. He wanted to fall face down onto his mattress, but he managed to crawl under the covers and lay down like a normal person. Despite the persistent tiredness pulling at him, he began worrying that he would have nightmare once more. Gabriel sat next to him on the bed, and Sam looked at him, confused.  
"Looks like my idea woke me up a little too much. Mind if I stay here while I wait to get tired?" The alpha asked, and Sam knew he was really just doing it to help him get to sleep. It was ingrained in him that an alpha would protect him, so he would naturally feel safer at his presence. He nodded anyway, relaxing slowly as he became accustomed to the reassuring scent of the shifter beside him. Gabriel cautiously moved so he was laying down, glancing at him every once in awhile to make sure he was still comfortable with him being there. Eventually, he slowly drifted off, the alpha's rhythmic breathing making him feel safe and comfortable.  
That night he didn't dream at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I know it took forever, but it's longer and (hopefully) better. By the way, every time I use a word that has to do with animals/animal terminelogy, like crowed or something, I am ridiculously pleased with myself.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

When Sam woke up, he felt comfortable, safe, and perfectly relaxed. He hesitated to open his eyes, instead shifting closer to the warm presence beside him. That was when his brain started waking up with the rest of him, and remembered why there was someone in his bed, as well as who that someone was. His eyes shot open, and he found himself wrapped up in a ball of warm alpha. He was sprawled on the bed with Gabe to his left, the shifter's arms wrapped firmly around him. As much as his instincts told him to stay under the covers with all their safety and warmth, he forced himself to slip out from the embrace, careful not to wake his friend. He crept out of the room and into the kitchen, wishing that Dean and Cas were back already with a coffee maker. Then he remembered the situation he'd been in moments before, and was glad they weren't. The last thing he needed was Dean making fun of him. Now that he wasn't breathing in comforting alpha pheromones, he found himself suddenly embarrassed. It was awkward enough to wake up next to someone, much less cuddling with them. On the brightside, Sam had slept better than he had in weeks. He felt wide awake and relaxed. The clock on the outdated, grimy microwave read nine, and he wondered absentmindedly if something had died in there at some point.  
    It was a quiet morning, and the sound of birds chirping slipped in through the living room window, surrounded by a stream of early-morning light. He breathed in and out deeply, enjoying the peace and quiet. It was a perfect little bubble of peace and quiet. Then the door was thrown open and Dean crashed through, lugging a huge box, and the bubble popped. Cas followed him in with significantly less noise, carrying a box of his own. He set it down carefully, while Dean cursed and dropped his box unceremoniously onto the counter.  
    "We got the furniture and told Bobby we were staying here. He gave us a car to get back in and keep, and it turns out he was fixing it for Dad before they fought, and he ended up with it. Dude, she's awesome." Dean explained, sounding awestruck. "Now help us carry stuff in. Where's Gabe?"  
    "Still sleeping, I think." Sam answered, following Cas out so he would know which car it was. It was awesome, he thought, a sleek black 67 impala. He grabbed a few pillows, doing his best not to turn red again when he passed Gabriel on the stairs. With all of them working together, it didn't take too long to get everything into the apartment. Dean went on and on about his new car as they built the furniture and put away the dishes, and Sam's best attempts at getting to be quiet were in vain. Fortunately, he was able to have his coffee now, so he could just nod along to his brother's monologue. The apartment slowly transformed to be more comfortable as they worked, and it could have been mistaken for nice by lunchtime. They could actually sit on the brand new chairs at the cramped kitchen table to eat the microwave noodles that Dean had insisted on buying. Sam decided that it was starting to feel like a house, even if it wasn't quite home yet. He texted Charlie, who had given him her number the day before in case he had any questions, and asked if they needed any help at sanctuary. She said they were fine for the time being, but that they should come by around five to help make dinner. He told the others, and then volunteered to buy some food that actually had to be cooked. He knew if he wasn't in charge of the shopping, it was very likely that all they would have to eat would be candy and pizza.  
    Sam rummaged through his bag for some clean clothes, discouraged by how little he had. The only clothing he had was the few outfits he had bought in the city where they'd met the Novak's, and he found that they hadn't fit nearly as well after his body had adapted to his omega status. He hadn't realized it at first, but his shoulders had become less broad and his hips wider, and it even seemed that his jawline had softened. Now his shirts were too baggy, his jeans were too small, and his boxers had become an uncomfortable nuisance. He resigned himself to a plaid shirt and jeans with buttons that left indents in his skin in the end, grumbling at his reflection. He grabbed some cash and his phone, walking out the door after he asked Charlie where the nearest grocery store was. He followed her directions carefully, not wanting to end up lost in an unfamiliar city. It occurred to him, as he checked that he was going the right way for the fifth time, that he wouldn't have acted like this before he presented. He had passed for an alpha easily, and he'd never had to worry about going out at night or being alone with strangers or a million other things that he had to be careful of with his designation. It was strange to think of himself as an omega. He'd known it for weeks, but it was still an unfamiliar part of himself, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He didn't like being in heat or being nervous about every little thing, but did he like being an omega? The question pursued him all the way to the shopping center Charlie had recommended, and he was still thinking it over when he had a cart full of all the food they needed at the moment. There's nothing wrong with it. I know that, but some part of me still doesn't want to accept that I am one. He thought to himself, wondering if that was out of the ordinary or not. Maybe he would talk to Cas about it.  
He started to head for the checkout line, but paused in front of the clothing section. He needed some clothes, and there was plenty of cash left over, so why not? Sam was halfway to the male alpha section when he stopped himself. He looked hopefully towards the beta section, but felt guilty immediately. Are you ashamed of being an omega? A voice in the back of his mind whispered, sounding very different from the voice who hissed that he was weak and needy. It was soft and reasonable, and Sam felt like he didn't dare disappoint it by proving it right. He took a deep breath, straightened up, and walked to the omega section. It was filled almost entirely with bright colored dresses and skirts decorated with bows and lace, and even the male omega clothes looked as though they were made for little girls or lingerie models. He looked, dismayed, at the pitifully small selection of plain jeans and shirts.  
"Need any help?" chimed a voice, and he turned to see a girl with dirty blonde hair and wearing an employee's outfit gazing up at him intently.  
"I guess," he responded, a little put off by her staring. He glanced down at her name tag, seeing Becky Rosen written out neatly.  
"Great!" she beamed. "What are you looking for?"  
"I really just need some jeans and tshirts. Do you have anything a little more... masculine?" He asked, feeling a little nervous about not knowing what he was doing. She enthusiastically grabbed his arm and lead him over to a rack of clothes, explaining the different brands and styles in detail. He ended up being dragged all over the store and buying more clothes than he had planned, or needed, before he finally convinced her that he didn't have to have any more help. Sam was thankful Becky had helped him, because, despite her staring and rants about the most popular styles and trends ( it was her job, after all), he had been able to find comfortable clothes that he would actually wear. He was walking back to the front store when an uncomfortable rubbing in between his legs reminded him there was one more thing to buy. He cursed mentally, embarrassed, as he paused in front of a display of panties and bras. There were special kinds of panties for male omegas, but that didn't mean they were any less frilly and ridiculous. Sam sighed, grabbing a few of the plainest kind he could find and shoving them into his cart.  He hurried to check out, hoping not to be reminded of any other unpleasant things he would have to spend money on. He worried that the cashier would laugh at him for buying underwear, but she just looked really bored. He grabbed his bags and hurriedly walked out of the store at last. See? I'm not ashamed to be an omega. He firmly told the voice in his head, as well as himself. Well, atleast he would be more comfortable, even if he would have to make sure Dean didn't stumble across any of his purchases in the wash.  
He was braver on the walk back, confident that he knew the way, so he could actually look at his surroundings this time. The little town was definitely nice, full of shops and restaurants and houses. Sam paused when he reached a big, old stone school, noticing a little flyer taped on the ornate gate. Teaching job available! It declared, and he read on, interested. Omegas are prefered. No previous experience is required. He wondered what class would be taught by an omega, as betas held most teaching positions, but he jotted down the location of the school office where the job interview was held and what day to come. He would check it out, he decided, thinking of how they would all need to find jobs eventually. He wondered about the job the rest of the way back, eager to tell Cas that he wouldn't have to be a stripper after all.  
    Everyone was relaxing around the house when he got there, and they all agreed when he told them he thought he should go to a job interviewer. Sam realized it was already almost four, and got everyone to hurry out the door so they could meet Charlie and Jo. When they entered the building, it was full of noise and bustle, a stark contrast to the nervous silence that had been there the day before. Charlie welcomed them in and handed the alphas the scent concealer, and gave them an extra bottle to keep and put on before they visited, before leading the way into the kitchen. Jo was already there, setting the ovens to preheat. She explained that they were making dinner, and that they needed a little extra help to get everything done. Dean and Cas worked to cook steak using the skillet, Gabe was put in charge of baking a cake for dessert, Jo had the very trying task of making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to and nothing caught on fire, while Sam and Charlie chopped up vegetables. The kitchen was filled with noise and the smell of food in no time. Sam told Charlie about the teaching job he'd heard about, and she seemed to think it was a great opportunity for him. He admitted that he was worried that he would be totally out of his depth, but the beta insisted that he would make a great teacher. They were interrupted by Dean bumping into Gabe, causing him to nearly dump the tin filled with batter all over the floor. Sam paused his chopping to help alpha reach the baking powder on the top shelf, teasing him about his height, and got a tongue stuck out at him in return. Somehow, they got everything made without further mishap, and Jo set the table as they waited for everything to be done. He was sent to tell the omegas that dinner was ready, and he stepped carefully through the bathroom before stopping outside the bedroom door and knocking before he pushed it open. Heads turned to face from all over the room, and a little girl got startled and shifted into a tiny mouse, before she turned back just as quickly.  
"Dinner is ready, if you want it," He said, giggling when a few small children ran to him and pulled on his arms. He lifted them easily and let them climb over his shoulders, proud that they recognized and trusted him. He lead the happy procession of hungry omegas into the dining room, some of them dashing past him to get to the food. He noticed that, though they were still all too thin to be healthy, many of them had a light in their eyes that had not been there before. He went to the kitchen and helped carry out the food, the kids still clinging to him and laughing, much to the amusement of his friends. Dean grabbed one little girl and spun her through the air while she squealed with joy, making Jo duck to avoid getting kicked in the face. When it was all set, he sat down in between the girl who had been a mouse and a slightly older boy. Charlie explained that there was a group dinner that they were all encouraged to attend every friday night, if they were able to. Then she took her place at the head of the table, with Jo at the other end, and they dug in. After a few days of regular meals, the rescued omegas no longer scarfed down their food ravenously. Now they talked as they ate, though there was still nothing but a few crumbs left over. After the main course, Gabriel brought out the cake, which was decorated only with plain white icing, but it was the most delicious thing Sam had ever tasted. Even when everyone was finished eating, they stayed, talking to Jo and Charlie about how well things were going and playing with the kids. Most of them were quite young, and easy to entertain. When they finally tired and returned home, Sam was exhausted, and everyone else seemed to be just as ready for bed. Afterall, running around all evening chasing little kids was exhausting, if fun. He slipped off his shoes, and turned to see Dean looking at him, confusion written on his face.  
    "Why is there already stuff on both of the beds?" He asked, and Sam resisted the urge to snicker.  
    "Because me and Gabe are sleeping on them. You and Cas get to share the queen." He explained in a mockingly casual tone, watching as Dean's confusion turned to embarrassment, and then a glare. Gabe sauntered up next to them, smirking.  
    "You didn't happen to buy an extra bed, did you, Dean-o?" He asked, and Dean's glare was directed at him instead. He cursed both of them out as he walked into the big bedroom, where Cas was already unpacking his stuff. Sam grinned at Gabriel, listening as their brothers discussed the sleeping situation. Dean walked past them into the bathroom, resolutely refusing to acknowledge them. They hung around outside the bedroom door for a little while after, trying not to giggle at the incredibly awkward conversation on the other side. Cas didn't seem to mind at all, but Dean wouldn't stop complaining, which resulted in the omega asking why he didn't want to sleep with him. At that, they had to run away back to their room, because they couldn't control their laughter. He felt incredibly, wonderfully child-like when he and Gabriel pushed back against the door to keep Dean out of their room. Finally, after Dean had threatened to kill them in about fifty different ways if they ever spoke of it again, they had settled down enough to sleep.  
Sam dreamed that he was back in the shopping center, and he knew he was searching for something, something important, but he couldn't remember what. He felt terribly small as he walked through rows and rows of omega clothing, as though the rest of the world was growing bigger than him. The whole time, he felt eyes on him, taking in his every move, and he began to run. Sam twisted and turned through the wracks and around corners, but the eyes still followed him. Finally, he saw the exit, but no matter how fast he ran towards it or how far he went, it was just out of his reach. Suddenly, the dream ended. The next morning, when he woke, he couldn't figure out why he felt so unsettled. 

    The weekend passed with everyone settling into the apartment and  helping out at Sanctuary here and there. Despite the relaxed mood, Sam worried about the job interview Monday whenever they had a break. He'd called the number on the flyer and set up an appointment, and though he had been assured that he didn't need any degree or experience, he still had his doubts about teaching. He was good with kids, but these students would be around his age. What if they didn't take him seriously? What if his classes were boring? What was he even going to be teaching? What if they asked something and he didn't know the answer? The questions whirled through his head, and he had thought himself into a jittery nervousness by the time it was at last Monday. He put on his nicest clothes (which, admittedly, weren't that nice), and got Dean to drive him to the school. He picked his way across the large campus into the building, embarrassed by having to ask a student where the principal's office was. It was weird to think he might end up teaching people the same age as or barely younger than him. The high school environment was familiar, and he was reminded that he was barely out of it himself, even though it seemed forever ago that he'd taken off of classes to present. School hadn't exactly been fun for him while he was unpresented, because he was constantly overwhelmed with pheromones that he didn't understand or react to. On top of that, fights were inevitable with the amount of hormonal teenagers discovering their designations for the first time. There had been more than one fight between alphas, and a lot more posturing and growling. Occasionally, an omega would go into an unexpected heat, and there would be a minor panic while they were carefully escorted back to their homes by the beta teachers. It was disorienting to understand so many scents at once now, each saying something different about how it's owner felt. By the time he reached the principal's office, he was slightly dizzy. Sam stepped in, relieved at the fresh air and quiet in the room. A middle aged alpha woman with a kind face and short brown hair was sitting behind a large wooden desk.  
    "You must be here for the interview. Sam Winchester, right?" She asked, and he nodded silently. She gestured to a chair, and he sat down, folding his hands in his lap and sitting up straight in an attempt to make himself look more mature and professional.  
    "I'm Jody Mills, principal of Purgatory High School. Nice to meet you, Sam. So, you're probably wondering what class you'll teach if you take the job. It's actually going to be a new part of our curriculum next year: designation studies. Because it's so late in the year, we're just going to have you teach a few classes to our seniors before next semester. Unfortunately, none of my students have been taught anything more than rumors about their own designations, so I thought it would be best that they got an actual lesson on it, rather than a few lectures here and there. The first few classes you could just go over shifter history in general, and cover how different designations came about. Eventually, you could teach about stereotypes, prejudice, or even sex ed. It's a pretty broad subject, and it counts toward the health requirement as well, so there's no need for homework or testing" she explained, and Sam let the breath he'd been holding go. He'd read all about the evolution of shifters when he was younger, as well as a lot of the mythology. He would probably only have to review it briefly if he wanted to teach a class or two about it.  
    "I can do that. Is it really okay that I don't have any teaching experience?" He asked, though he was feeling more sure of himself now.  
    "Of course. It's best that we have someone your age, because you'll know exactly what it's like to be young today. You don't mind that a few students might be older than you, right?"  
    "I think I'll get used to it. I was wondering, why did the flyer say that omegas were preferred?"  
    "I thought that an omega would have the best understanding of the effects designation has on social standing, and wouldn't favor certain designations. If any of the students or other teachers give you trouble, you can just come to me. I'll set them straight. Oh, and you can get a week off every once in awhile for your heat if you're not on suppressants. So, what do you think? Do you want to take the job? No one else has called about an interview yet, and I doubt they will, so if you want it, it's yours,"  
    He thought for a moment, looking over the paperwork that gave more information on the position, before nodding. It seemed like a good job, and besides, he might be able to teach some kids how to stay safe or make sure others were. It also payed very well, especially for only three classes each week, and he would get summers off. Jody smiled at him, and told him to be ready for his first class the next day. He assured her he would be, before excusing himself from the building. As he walked, he was already planning out his first class.  
          When he got back to the apartment, he was bombarded by a sweater vest thrown in his face and confetti tossed into his hair. He caught the blue-and-gray-checkered thing, staring down at it in confusion. Sam looked up to see his friend's eager faces as they crowded around, all talking at once.  
    "Did you take the job?" asked Cas, his seriousness a strange contrast to the streamer draped around his shoulders and the glitter in his hair.  
    "Wha-yeah, I took it, but what's going on?" He stammered, wondering if it was someone's birthday and he'd forgotten.  
    "We all kinda just assumed you would take the job because we need the money, so we thought we'd waste what little cash we do have and surprise you with a treat. Oh, and the vest is so you can look like a teacher," Gabe explained, and, from the three lollipop sticks poking out from his mouth, it looked as though he'd decided to treat himself as well.  
    "Uh, thank you, I guess," He mumbled, trying to shake some of the paper out of his hair. "But I don't think I need a sweater vest to be a teacher. Most of the ones I saw there just dressed like normal people."  
    Dean shrugged, pulling him all the way into the apartment and sitting him down in front of a container of cupcakes. "Well you're keeping it, because I threw away the receipt. Now shut up and eat your cupcakes," He ordered, and Sam decided that being forced to eat delicious desserts wasn't the worst punishment ever. They were cheap and flaky, and the icing was rich enough to make him feel slightly nauseous on the second bite, but it was nice to just sit in the kitchen and talk with his friends. He explained what he would be teaching about, and that reminded him that he needed to start planning out his class for the next day. Eventually, he managed to get away so he could work, pulling out his laptop and piece of paper to take notes on. Like he'd thought, he already knew most of the history, but he read through it all anyway. It was just as interesting as he remembered, both the mythology and more plausible theories, with the many different versions of what might have happened. Historians only had scrawled out copies of stories that were passed from parent to child for decades and a few old tattered books written by humans to go off of, so a lot of it was based off of pure myth. He managed to fill out a page and a half with the most plausible theories anyway, deciding that a mix of myth and history would be the best combination. It was dark out by the time he was satisfied with his work, and Sam found himself a lot more confident in his own ability to teach by the time he crawled into bed.  
    That night, he had another nightmare he was only barely able to recall upon waking. He was trapped deep beneath the earth, wandering through clean, bare twisting hallways filled with stacks and stacks of hideous, warped collars. The sound of children crying out came from every direction, begging him to help them, to let them out. He tried to unlock the doors lining the hallways and rooms to get to them, pounding desperately on the heavy wood as their screams grew deafening. Finally, he stumbled into a large black door at the end of the hall, clutching at his ears in an attempt to block out the terrible sound, and it gave way. A deafening silence fell immediately.  A little boy was crouched on the floor, huddled in a ball of inky black feathers. The sound of his breathing was thin and rattling, and he saw that there was a collar fastened tightly around his neck, a chain connecting him to the wall. He looked up at him when he entered, and Sam woke with a flash of fear and startling blue eyes. He stared at the ceiling, breathing in and out deeply  to slow his heart's panicked hammering. When sleep failed to claim him even after his breathing had softened into a steady rhythm, he turned onto his side, staring at the sleeping form of Gabriel in the other bed. His eyes slowly grew heavy again as he watched the alpha breath in and out, in and out, in and out, a reminder that he was safe, that he was protected.  
His alarm woke him the next morning (much the the dismay of everyone else in the apartment), and he got up and began working again. He used his time until one, when he had to leave for the school, to go over his notes. Once Sam was satisfied that he'd covered everything, he began planning his next classes. He wanted to talk about stereotypes, but he hesitated momentarily, wondering if that would be too much for only his second class. His friends assured him that it was fine, and he decided to go for it. He paused to eat lunch, then begrudgingly donned the sweater vest and one of his new pairs of jeans. They were both surprisingly comfortable, but the panties were going to take some getting used to, he decided, though they were a lot nicer and softer than what he was used to. He looked himself over in the mirror, and decided he looked professional, despite his longer hair and young face. The vest and jeans somehow gave him the impression of omega softness, and his first instinct was to take it all off and go back to his old, uncomfortable clothes. He fought the urge, reminding himself once again that omega wasn't bad, before stepping away from the mirror. When he walked into the kitchen and greeted Cas, who had slept late, he paused for a moment at the sight of his sleep-hazed, but still incredibly blue eyes, remembering his dream. But Sam managed to pass his stare off as just nerves, and hurried to throw himself back into the busy distraction of preparing for his class.  
He finally bid everyone goodbye not much later, and set off to the school, doing his best to ignore the nervousness thrumming in his chest. He made it to the school and wandered to his classroom a while early, and got used to the space. It was a pretty average looking class, with a large blackboard taking up most of the far wall, and a bunch of small desks and chairs facing a larger desk in the front of the room. Sam noticed happily that there were big windows on the  right side of the room, flooding it with natural light. He sat on the corner of the teacher's desk, shuffling his notes as he rehearsed what he was going to say. Early students slowly drifted into the room, watching him with wide, curious eyes as they sat down. They were mostly betas, the soft, citrus-and-sugar scent of their interest filling the room. There were a few omegas, too, mixing in their own strawberry shortcake caution to the mix. Just one minute before the class started, a group of alpha boys and girls entered the room, talking loudly as they took their seats in the very front, bringing with them the smoky smell of their confidence. Sam fought down another surge of anxiousness as he slipped off the desk and to the front of the room. Silence fell as the students stared at him, and he realized they really were about his age. He gathered himself, remembered his notes, and began.  
"Hi. I'm Sam Winchester, and I'm going to teach you a few lessons about designation before the year ends. Now, I know, I know, you probably think you know all about it, but there's a lot more to it than you think. To start out, why don't you all introduce yourselves, and then we'll begin the lesson." Sam began, smiling gently. All the students hesitantly said their names and one interesting thing about themselves, and he did their best to try and remember them all. He explained that there would be no books necessary for the class, and they were encouraged to take notes, though they wouldn't be tested. Sam was thankful that Jody had given him the option of no testing, because the class counted toward the health requirement, and it was less work for everybody. He outlined some of the things they would learn through the year, relieved that, at least so far, he'd managed to hold the student's attention. He held his notes in case he needed to review anything, but he knew most of the information by heart at that point.  
"So, most of what we know about how shifters evolved is based off of mythology and rumor, so we can only theorize what actually happened. In human myth, the first sub species of shifter was developed from gray wolves. According to the legends, wolves had been getting larger, smarter, and more dangerous by the generation, and they were given the ability to turn human during the full moon by the Moon Goddess, the most powerful deity of wolves at that time. Other animals followed close behind all around the world, and soon humans began creating tales of strange creatures who had the ability to shed their skin and change forms.They feared shifters deeply, as they were quickly growing in number and power. Humans were living in spread out, isolated towns and villages at that point, and attacks from shifters for food and supplies were fairly common. All around the world, it was very easy for the many different types of shifters to attack each little village and wipe it out when the humans retaliated with hunting and traps. We were able to blend into their towns and attack them from the inside. According to the stories, humans were "turned" by being bitten, which would have nearly doubled our numbers if true. In a very short amount of time, there were hardly any humans left, and they eventually died out. In the meantime, we grew more and more capable, and we became able to shift fully whenever we wanted. Some of us took over the human towns for ourselves and spent more time in that form, while others remained living in the wild as animals. Today, there are many great cities as well as forests and jungles, and we are at the top of the foodchain." He explained, doing his best to remember all of the details. A few students were scribbling down notes, but most of them were just staring blankly at him or off into space. He cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably.  
"How much of that had you heard before?" Sam asked, wondering if he was just boring them with things they already knew. A few kids looked around to see if anyone else was going to answer before a young beta raised his hand.  
"We've gone over it a briefly in our history class, but I didn't know most of that." He said, and a few others nodded in agreement.  
"That's good. Have you been taught story of how the different designations were formed?" Most of them shook their heads no, and he sighed in relief. He really should have asked Jody how much exactly they knew already.  
"Well, that also began with wolves. Originally, the terms alpha, beta, and omega were used to describe different positions in a wolf pack. There were an alpha male and alpha female, usually the only breeding pair unless there was a surplus of food. The beta was the second in command, and would take over if one the alphas was killed. There were usually a few mid-level wolves, whose social status constantly shifted, and then the omega. The omega was at the very bottom of the structure, and was often targeted by other wolves hoping to gain power and express their  dominance, and had to eat last. In the story, the alpha male of a struggling wolf pack went to the Moon Goddess for help. After a raid by a rival pack, they lost many wolves, and his mate was discovered to be infertile. They needed to rear pups in order to get their strength back, and they were running out of options. The Moon Goddess came to him, and told him, and the alpha female, to mate with the omega of the pack. When he explained that the omega was male, so it was impossible, the goddess used her powers to change the anatomy off all shifters. The alpha pair could now both mate with the pack omega, and were both able to hunt and provide for them during the pregnancy, though the omega was still the lowliest wolf. The same change overcame shifters all over the world. This left alphas with lasting instincts to provide and care for those close to them, as well as their territory, while the dominant instincts they'd had before were amplified. Omegas, on the other hand, became more submissive and fertile. Now, it is very important to remember that these are all generalizations, do not always apply to every member of each designation, as well basic instincts, and are not necessarily prominent in everyday actions. These traits have caused very powerful stereotypes in today's culture, and have had a great influence on our society, which we'll talk about in Thursday's class." He explained, which seemed to get the attention of some of the students. Jody had told him that the principal before her had refused to allow any classes about sexism, so this was going to be very new to all of them. Well, the omegas wouldn't be too surprised, but the rest of them would be. He waited until they had all picked up their bags and gone, before gathering his papers and leaving. As he walked, Sam went back over his lecture in his head, wondering how he could make the next class more engaging, before he remembered the bottle of scent concealer that Charlie had given him, an idea forming in the back of his mind.  
By the time he got home, he was ready to start working again, settling back into his spot on the couch and pulling out his laptop. Dean called him a nerd and ruffled his hair, but he determinedly kept at it. He ate his dinner quickly, eager to continue his work, which confused his friends. There had never been any lessons about the sexism omegas faced at his old school, and he was excited to give others to learn about it. He was still hard at work a few minutes after, when he absentmindedly noticed Dean answering a phone call. He tuned out the conversation and dove back into his notes, but was distracted again when Dean shook his shoulder.  
"Jo says they need help, right now. She didn't say why, but she sounded urgent." He barked, and Sam leapt to his feet as Cas and Gabriel joined them. He feared that someone had been hurt, or there had been a break in, and his blood ran cold at the sight before them when they burst into the building. Charlie and Jo were standing with their backs to the far wall, circling the omega quarters defensively. In front of them, turned so they couldn't see his face, was a man with dirty blonde hair, and who reeked with alpha power. Another alpha, this one female, sat casually on one of the waiting room's couches, a smirk playing over her pale face and a notepad and pen clutched in her clawed hands. Jo's eyes darted to meet his, and Sam watched as the alpha noticed, and turned slowly. Blue eyes, colder and duller than Castiel's, faced them, and fear spiked in his chest. This alpha smelled of danger, cold metal and small, dark rooms with little air, so different than the familiar scents of Dean and Gabriel. His brother had an underlying current of danger and protection in his scent, for sure, but it was padded with the smell of pie crust and peanut butter mixed with motor oil. Gabe's scent was thick and slightly sweet, but below that was an edge of of sparks and smoke. While they both held distinctly powerful, darker undertones, there was plenty of comfort and home there, as well. This stranger smelled only of power and cold, heavy terror. It made Sam's skin crawl, and he growled quietly in warning without thinking. The man took a step forward, his strong scent rolling over them like a fog.  
"You must be the Winchesters," He hissed, his voice smooth and low. "I've heard a lot about you. The hero types do always get all the coverage,"  
"Who are you, and how do you know who we are?" He demanded, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
"I'm sure you've heard of me, you just don't know it. My name is Lucifer. How do I know about you? Well, if someone broke into your business, and stole from you, I think you would notice, too. I've come to get my products back," He said, and Charlie hissed behind him, moving to block the door to the kitchen. Sam froze, thoughts reeling inside his head as he realized what, and who, the man was talking about. They'd been caught, they'd been caught, they'd been caught. Of course the guards would have reported to their leader what they looked like. Had someone given them away? Were they being watched the whole time? He wondered, feeling sick to his stomach. His panicked train of thought skidded to a halt when the man looked around again, nodding to the woman on the couch.  
"Lilith, it looks like we're out numbered." He observed, and she slipped off the couch and to his side. They parted and watched them as they walked to the door, as relaxed and casual as if they were strolling down the street. Then, the man stopped suddenly, and turned to face him. Sam looked down at him, challenging as any alpha, ignoring the part of him that wanted to meekly back down.  
"You, you're... Interesting." He hissed, looking him up and down with interest that made him want to shudder, but he didn't, refusing to move a muscle in his challenge. "You look as though you could be an alpha, but you're not. You don't hold yourself like a proper omega, either,"  Sam wondered briefly what the hell a proper omega was, as the gaze continued, and, just as he was about to growl out a vicious response, a hand gripped his chin, tilting his head from side to inspect him before he could react. He let it happen, taken completely off guard. A low growl came from Gabe behind him, and he snapped out of his surprised daze. He jerked his head away, and bared his teeth in a snarl. Lucifer continued to inspect him like a hard to solve problem as though nothing had happened, and it made him furious. But, before he could act, Gabriel had darted forward, striking him hard across the face. Dean and Castiel circled behind the man as he recovered from the blow, and he glanced back at them. While he was distracted, Sam raked his claws sharply over his chest, knocking him back. At the same moment, Cas kicked at his legs, and stumbled. Sam readied to attack again while he watched Dean do the same, and for a second he felt like he was back in control of the situation. Then, enormous wings, painted in dotted shades of white and brown and black burst from the man's back, hitting him with incredible power, forcing him against the wall and pinning him there. His friends had been knocked off their feet as well, and the man rose, looking strangely unaffected, in the middle of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Charlie and Jo stalking closer, still able to protect the rescued omegas but near enough to help them if the fight continued. Sam, however, was desperate that it didn't. This man was powerful. He could beat them all easily if he decided to. Instead, he just stood, folding his wings behind his back neatly.  His eyes slid past Sam and onto Gabriel behind him, his malice clear. He rubbed a hand over his face, which had begun bleeding slightly after the blow he'd been dealt.  
"You made the wrong choice. You could have been great, and worked with me. You were so strong then, but I see that you lost that power. You've grown weak..." The man paused, and Sam turned and watched in confusion as a flash of recognition and fear played over Gabriel's face as the final words were spit out like something truly vile. "Little brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually got this out pretty fast, well, at least faster than before. There's a lot of kind of world building in this chapter, which hopefully wasn't too boring. I know it wouldn't make any sense for Sam to just magically become a teacher in our universe, but age and jobs are viewed differently in this. Also, I just really wanted Sam to wear a sweater vest. I'd love some feedback, constructive criticism or otherwise! Thanks for reading so far!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter has a brief rape attempt, and a character has a panic attack. It's in the tags, but I wanted to make sure everyone was aware that that is coming up.

The room stood frozen for a moment, staring after Lucifer. Then the sound of sobbing broke through the haze that covered Sam’s mind, and he rushed past Charlie and Jo to the classroom, throwing open the door. The omegas were huddled into the corners, the sharp smell of their fear soaking the air. All of them were crying, but some of the older kids were trying to hide their tears in order to comfort the others. Sam pushed away his own fears, wanting desperately to help them, to comfort them, to make them feel safe. Before he knew it, he was crouched in front of a group, muttering reassurances in a soft voice as they cried.  
“It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re okay. He’s gone now, it’s fine, he’s gone,” He became aware that his brother was in the room as well, assuring the kids that they were safe now. The Novaks were nowhere to be seen, but Charlie and Jo were there, and within a few minutes, most of the young omegas had stopped crying, but they still huddled together, talking in hushed, nervous voices. Jo began to vigorously spray scent concealer around the room, and ordered them to shift into their animal forms then touch everything they could, so the room would smell familiar and calming once more. Soon enough, it was almost like the menacing alpha had never set foot inside the building. If only Sam could shake the feeling of cold unease creeping over him, he could forget the whole thing had happened. Just as they were returning to the little classroom, Gabriel and Cas joined them, carrying mugs of hot chocolate. After everyone had their drinks, with as much whipped cream and marshmallows as they wanted, Sam was finally reassured that the omegas would be okay. They had been through so much already, and it wasn’t fair, but they had recovered from worse. His mind no longer humming with the need to calm and protect, his thoughts turned instead to Lucifer. It was barely a second before his own heart was sent hammering once more. He sipped at his hot chocolate, hoping that distracting himself would somehow make everything better. He glanced at Gabriel, thinking of what Lucifer’s final words had been. They couldn’t really be brothers, right? He thought to himself, disbelieving. Gabriel could never have been associated with a man as sinister as that. The alpha looked uneasy, shoulders hunched and tensed as he shifted from foot to foot. Sam knew better than to approach him about it right then and there, in front of everyone, but that didn’t stop him from wondering about it. It was clear that clear that they had known each, evident by the recognition on his friend’s face, but there had been fear there, too. On top of that, he had trusted that Gabriel would have told him about someone who could have played an important part in his life. As soon as he thought it, he realized it was ridiculous. They weren’t mates, friends could keep secrets from each other. Gabe had no reason to tell him anything if he didn’t want too. Sam sighed, wishing that his own fears and doubts were calmed as easily as a scared child.  
The young omegas fell asleep eventually, nodding off on their bean bags or the almost too-fuzzy carpet. The rest of them made no move to leave, however. Sam kept a careful watch over them, doubting that he could try and focus on anything else if he wanted to. Every inch of his being was telling him to be careful, that he had to keep the children safe. He realized, through his growing exhaustion, that it was an instinct he’d had long before presenting as an omega. He’d always wanted to protect others, to keep them safe and happy. His designation wasn’t what made him care so much, it was just a part of him. He yawned, pinching his arm to keep himself alert. He would be able to sleep the next day anyway, as he didn’t have to teach class. Still, he struggled not to slip out of consciousness throughout the night, a rush of adrenaline waking him each time sleep threatened to claim him. Finally, the sun rose, light trickling in from the large windows. The omegas slept soundly on. After sticking around for a little longer to make sure Charlie and Joe would be okay on their own, they made their way back to their little apartment. Sam glanced around nervously, a feeling of unease settling over him like mist. Even though there wasn’t a threat in sight, he still felt completely on edge, and he hurried to catch up with the others. He thought he saw a flash of light to from around the corner of an old store, but he shook his head to clear his mind, telling himself that he was just tired.  
By the time that they’d gone up the many stairs and into their cramped apartment, it’d been lost, like the rest of his worries, in a sea of heavy exhaustion. The only thing on his mind was getting into his bed, and passing out. Somehow, in between slipping off his jeans and climbing underneath his warm, safe covers, he managed to set an alarm on his phone to go off in a few hours. As much as he wanted to just sleep the day away, he knew he still had to prepare for his class, and he wouldn’t get anything done asleep. Thankfully, he fell into a dreamless sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he felt surprisingly rested when he woke in at the sound of his alarm. He glanced at Gabriel, who was sprawled out on his own bed, snoring softly, and Sam couldn’t help but stare for a few moments. Then he shook his head, trying to tear his eyes away and get the romance-novel thoughts off his mind. He made his way to the kitchen, pausing for a moment and leaning in the doorway at the sight of his brother. The elder Winchester was half shifted and hunched over a book on the kitchen table, reading eagerly. It wasn’t unusual to see Dean reading, as much as he tried to pretend that he wasn’t smart or interested in books, but it was how intensely focused he looked that made Sam so curious. His eyes were locked on the page, jaw tensed, ears twitching occasionally, and his tail wagging quickly back and forth as he read like his life depended on it. Really, with how focused he was, it was easy for Sam to walk up behind him and snatch the book out of his hands before he even realized he was no longer alone. His brother yelped loudly, jumping to his feet and twisting around as the omega lept out of the way.  
“What the hell, Sam? Give me that back!” He barked, looking panicked and flushed, and yeah, Sam had to see what this book was. He’d never seen his brother this embarrassed, not even when their father had discovered his porn collection a few years back, and that had been quite the show. He darted out of Dean’s reach as he dived for him, jumping over the couch with a laugh. His brother chased after him, trying to grab for the book, and Sam managed to get far away enough that he was able to read the cover. In big text, taking up almost the entire page, it read So your Mate has Feathers: A Guide to Interspecies Relationships for Mammals. Sam read it aloud, watching as Dean’s expression turned from one of horror to pure embarrassment.  
“That’s- it’s not what you think, I was just-” He sputtered, before Sam, after his own laughter of understanding, cut him off.  
“You’re going to try and court Cas!” He exclaimed, only for his brother to shush him, glancing to the bedroom where the crow slept. Courting was the old-fashioned way of an alpha to win an omega’s heart, by offering gifts, proving that they could provide, and following whatever mating behavior that species had. It made sense that Dean would want to do it the old-fashioned, romantic way. As much as he tried to hide it, Sam knew he was really a giant, romantic sap.  
“Give me that!” the alpha growled, his face a bright red. “And be quiet, would you?” He asked, sitting down with a sigh on the shabby couch. Sam joined him, his face softening, hoping beyond hope that Dean was actually going to have a conversation about the feelings he obviously had for Cas with him. “I don’t know if I should or not. Court him, I mean. I don’t want to scare him off or make things awkward between us, but it feels like just sitting around and not doing anything would be even worse. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t see me as anything but a friend, anyway. I mean, why would he? I’ve got nothing to offer him. Hell, he gave up everything he had to come with us,” Dean finished, and the omega stared for a moment, surprised by how honest Dean was being. He was glad that his brother was being honest about his insecurities for once. He was relatively easy for Sam to read, but he saying it out loud meant he was admitting what he was feeling to himself.  
“I don’t think you’ll scare him away, Dean. Cas doesn’t exactly seem like he’s easily intimidated. Besides, you’ll only have a chance with him if he knows you like him as more than just a friend. And something tells me that he would be more than happy to be courted by you. Hey, where did you even get that book? It looks ridiculous,” He asked, turning it over in his hands. The back advertised information on courtship and relationships with all types of avian shifters, and Sam couldn’t help but feel that it took itself a little too seriously for a book full of dating advice.  
“I borrowed it from Sanctuary’s library. It’s a little too… over the top and cheesy, but it’s all I could find,”  
Sam just nodded in response, deciding that he’d embarrassed his brother enough for one day and handing the book back. After promising Dean he wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anyone, he grabbed his laptop, settling back on the couch to prepare his class for the next day. He spent the afternoon gathering information and taking notes, the sunlight slowly slipping away. Occasionally, Dean would be in the kitchen at the same time as Cas, and he got to enjoy of watching his brother try and act casual and cool in front of the omega while not-so-subtly hiding the his book. After another hour of work while eating a quick dinner, he felt content with his progress, and decided to call it a day. Only then did he remember that the scent concealer, which he needed for his lesson plan, was with Dean’s stuff. He made sure to knock on the door, wondering briefly if Dean had already started his courtship, before entering the room. He was met with the sight of his brother flopped over in his wolf form on the large bed, sleeping soundly. Castiel was crouched, balanced on his toes, in a chair a little ways away, his wings folded behind his back. Sam decided that he looked more bird-like than ever.  
“Hey, Cas. Sorry to bother you, I just needed to get the scent concealer out of Dean’s stuff for my class,” He explained, creeping into the room to rummage through the alpha’s nightstand.  
“It’s perfectly fine. Actually, I would prefer if he used it less. I understand that it is necessary for the omegas’ comfort within sanctuary, but I personally find his natural scent very calming,” The crow said casually, and Sam stared at him for a moment, his mouth slightly.  
“Uh, what?” He asked, wondering if what he was hearing was real.  
“His scent. I find it appealing. I fail to see how it would alarm anyone, as it certainly puts me at ease, but I am limited to my own perspective,” He looked from the other omega to his brother, who was still sound asleep, snoring softly. Despite how calm and collected he was, Castiel’s face was slightly red, and Sam got the feeling that he knew exactly what he was saying. It was common knowledge that a possible mate’s scent grew more and more appealing to an individual the more interested they became.  
“Well, that’s good to know. I still have to put this with my stuff, but I’m here if you want to talk about anything, anything at all,” He said pointedly, wanting to help the two get together in any way he could. He waved the spray bottle goodbye, and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Immediately, he covered his mouth with a hand, trying to suppress a laugh. Dean was worried that Cas didn’t see him as anything but a friend, but here the omega was, commenting on how much he liked Dean’s scent. Sam had a feeling that they would work there feelings out eventually. He only hoped it was sooner rather than later, so he wouldn’t have to watch them stare longingly into each other’s eyes ever again. He went back to his room and stashed the concealer in his bag for the next day. He turned at the sound of shuffling to see that Gabriel, who’d slept through the whole day, sitting up in his bed. His hair was a mess, fluffed up around his face and his colorful wings framed his back as he blinked awake. Sam couldn’t help but think it was kind of adorable, before he reminded himself to stop thinking that way about his friend. Right, because that’s all they were. Friends. There was no way that Gabriel would ever feel that way about him, of course. There wasn’t any reason for him to. Sam wasn’t small and pretty and quiet, like omegas were supposed to be, so why would an alpha like Gabe ever be interested in him? He knew it was silly, to worry about things he knew were baseless stereotypes, especially after he’d spent all afternoon researching why they were harmful. He just couldn’t stop the voice in the back of his head that whispered he wasn’t good enough, and never would be. He sighed, shaking his head to clear it of meaningless thoughts, focusing instead on making conversation.  
“Did you sleep alright?” He asked, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. Gabriel yawned, before nodding, still looking pretty exhausted.  
“I still feel like I could sleep for about a month,” The alpha commented, and Sam agreed. Silence fell for a moment, and, reminded of Lucifer’s words from the night before, he worked up his courage to ask the question that had been buzzing in the background of his thoughts all day.  
“Gabriel,” He started, hesitating for a moment before pushing on, “What that alpha said last night, about you being brothers, what did he mean?” As soon as the words had left his mouth, his friend froze, visibly tensing up. After a second, though, he relaxed, a smile on his face, but Sam thought it looked more than just a little forced. Gabe was a good actor, but not that good.  
“Oh, that? It was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” The alpha brushed it off casually, but there was still a note of nervousness in his voice that broke the illusion.  
“It obviously wasn’t nothing. Come on, Gabriel, I just want to know what’s going on,” He urged, determined to get him to talk about it. He’d thought he knew enough about Gabriel’s past to get by, but now this stranger had appeared, and he was once more questioning how much the alpha had failed to tell him. He was determined to get the truth out of him, and he wasn’t going to back down.  
“You’re not going to give up, huh?” He said with a sigh, “Fine then, but it’s really not important. When I was a kid, still in the fights, Lucifer was there too. He was vicious and strong, which lead to him be the champion. He’d been there longer than anyone else, and it was obvious that he was pretty messed up from it all. For some reason, he took an interest me, and began training me. He said that he wanted me to take his place. That was when I started getting it into my head that alphas had to act a certain way, and that we were better than everyone else. He drilled that into me even more, hitting me if I cried or showed weakness, even though I was just a little kid. I didn’t have any other family then, and, in some messed up way, he really did become my brother. I started actually wanting to fight, to kill for the chance to prove my worth. I started to put all of my time and effort into the training, ignoring everything else so I could make him proud when my first match came around. But, obviously, I didn’t go through with it. Once I realized how sick the whole thing was, I never wanted to see Lucifer again. I actually didn’t believe it could be him at first. I have no idea how he survived this long, the way he we lived back then. The only thing that mattered to him was being stronger than anyone else, it didn’t matter if you were collapsing, you had to cover it all up before anyone noticed,” He said at last, his voice much smaller and softer than before. His wings shifted nervously, and it seemed as though he was almost coming out from behind a wall. Sam nodded silently, still taking a moment to process what had been said. Sometimes, with the way he was always cracking jokes and teasing, he nearly forgot all the horrible things that Gabriel had been through, completely on his own. He couldn’t even imagine how it felt to be taken from your home and put in an environment where being strong was all that mattered, where you had to kill to live. No wonder the alpha had been so horrified by seeing Lucifer again; he was a reminder of the past he desperately wanted to forget.  
“I’m sorry,” He said, before internally flinching at how weak and pointless it sounded. “I wish that you never had to go through that. I wish that nobody ever has to go through that again. Thank you for telling me, for trusting me. I want to help in any way I can. I want you to know that you are strong, and that addressing your emotions is proof of it,” Gabriel looked up at his words, and gave a soft, genuine smile.  
“Thank you, Sam. I really needed to hear that. Even though it’s been so many years, and I’ve changed so much, I still struggle to talk about these things sometimes. I know I should have explained that before, but I didn’t want you to think that I was like him. I don’t ever want to go back to that place in my life, and he’s a gateway to it,” The alpha admitted, standing up with a sigh. “Is it dinner time yet? I’m starving,” As soon as the question left his mouth, the tension seeped out of the room, and Sam felt himself relax. He knew that their conversation mattered to both of them, more than they let on, but continuing on with normal life was just as important.  
“It’s about six. I already ate, but I think there’s a frozen pizza left, so you can have that,” He said, following as Gabriel pushed the bedroom door open, and nearly bumping into him when he froze suddenly. He peaked over his shoulder into the kitchen, which wasn’t hard considering their height difference, and saw why he had come to a halt. Castiel was sitting on one of the stools, staring at a very flustered, very embarrassed looking Dean. As they watched silently, his brother began to make a strange noise, somewhere in between a hum and a growl, as he lifted his arms to the side and sank into an elegant bow. Sam didn’t know a lot about birds, but that was obviously some kind of courtship ritual, especially if how red Castiel turned was any indication. After a moment, he slipped silently off his stool, and gave his own bow in response, before taking an almost cautious step towards Dean. That must mean that he accepted the courtship, Sam thought. Dean moved closer as well, until they met in the middle. All at once, their cautious movements were forgotten as Dean pulled Cas into a hug, laughing happily and kissing him.  
He stepped back into the bedroom, feeling both embarrassed at intruding on something so personal, and proud that his older brother had finally gotten his head out of his ass. He turned to see that Gabriel was grinning widely, his eyebrows quirked playfully.  
“Well, looks like we made the right choice when we made them share the bed,” He whispered, and Sam held back a laugh, nodding in agreement. “As much as I love snooping on our siblings’ love lives, I really am starving, and their romantic moment is blocking the fridge,” Gabriel exclaimed, and pulled the door back open. Fortunately, Dean and Cas were now sitting around the kitchen island, talking quietly. The pair looked up when Sam and Gabriel entered, both with goofy smiles on their faces.  
“What’s got you two so happy?” Gabriel asked easily, leaning against the counter. Alpha and Omega glanced at each other, before Castiel spoke up.  
“Dean has begun courting me.” He announced, giving a soft smile while Dean beamed, his pride evident as he wrapped an arm around Cas.  
“Well, that’s surprising to, let me think, no one,” the conure teased, and Sam rolled his eyes, making his way to the fridge and pulling out the frozen pizza.  
“I’m just glad that you guys finally worked yourselves out. Just… remember, the walls in here are pretty thin…” He said, smirking at the indignant growl from Dean.  
“Sam! You shut the hell up!” He barked, still too happy to sound sincerely angry, while the others just laughed. That night, they all ate while watching trashy reality TV shows, and Sam was able to ignore the disgustingly romantic things his brother and Cas kept doing by focusing on how happy they were.

The next day, he woke up early, with plenty of time to get ready for his morning class. He paced their cramped living room, making sure he was prepared, before searching through the dresser to find exactly what he needed to wear for his plan to work. He wore the few clothes he’d had on him when he’d presented, the ones that had been bought from the male alpha section. They were slightly baggy in some places, and they smelled like his mild, vague unpresented scent, but they were still comfortable and reminded him of home. He grabbed the scent concealer from under his bed, sprayed some into his hands, and rubbed it onto his face, neck, anywhere where his layers of plaid didn’t cover him. Then he tossed it into his bag, along with his papers, grabbed his lunch, wrote a note saying he’d gone to work, and left. On the walk to Purgatory High, he made sure to square his shoulders, stand up tall, and look people in the eye, no matter their designation. For some reason, he’d expected changing his behavior to include traits that were usually expected of alphas would make him feel as though he was lying to himself. Instead, he felt confident and comfortable, regardless of whether he met strangers’ eyes or not. Sam realized he had a little extra time, so he stopped into a little cafe to buy breakfast. For a moment, he hesitated to get the pastry he wanted, wondering if he should just get a coffee to avoid revealing his status. Then he reminded himself that he was wearing the concealer, and besides, he was hungry, and what random people thought of him wasn’t going to keep him from eating a damn pastry.  
He reached the school quickly afterwards, wiping his mouth for crumbs before entering his classroom. Sam removed the bottle of scent concealer from his bag, spraying a good amount all throughout the room, wrinkling his nose slightly at the heavy smell of flowers, rain, and wood smoke that clouded the air. Soon enough, students started arriving, and he tried his best to greet them all by name. Most of them didn’t seem to notice the scent concealer, or if they did, they didn’t think anything of it. Eventually, after taking attendance, he walked to the front of the room to start class, making sure to keep his posture commanding.  
“So, you’ve probably noticed that it smells a little different in here, right? Well, that’s scent concealer. It does exactly what it sounds like, makes it impossible for designations to be determined via smell. It’s often used in various jobs to help avoid conflict, and to help keep anonymity in social situations. So, now that you know what it is, what do you think I am? Alpha, Beta, or Omega?” He asked, his words clear and loud, and he saw the students begin to think, instinctively sniffing the air in confusion. They sniffed the air, looked him up and down, and glanced nervously at each other. They would have smelled him during their first class, of course, but not enough for his scent to become familiar or recognizable, and now they were questioning whether or not they had scented him correctly. When none of them said anything, he smiled reassuringly.  
“Come on, take a guess.” He urged, and finally, one kid, who he thought was an alpha, sighed and raised her hand.  
“You’re an alpha, right?” She asked, slightly hesitant, and a few of her classmates nodded in agreement.  
“Why do you say that?” As he spoke, he made sure to keep his voice even and neutral. The girl seemed to lose some of her confidence, but she answered anyway.  
“Because you act like one?”  
“How do alphas act? That’s a question for the whole class, and there’s no right answer,” The students glanced at each other, before a few raised their hands. A few more seemed emboldened by their classmate’s bravery, other kids began shouting answers.  
“Strong!”  
“Like they own the place,”  
“They know what they’re doing?”  
“Confident!”  
After a few more similar answers, the class settled down, murmuring to each quietly until Sam got their attention.  
“Actually, I’m an omega, believe it or not,” he said, causing some of the students to look confused. “I’m not surprised that you thought I was an alpha, I did that on purpose. I acted how you would expect an alpha to act, and because you couldn’t scent me, you didn’t question it. Today, we’re going to talk about the stereotypes associated with the designations. You’ve seen them everywhere, from movies to music to you own household. There are certain things expected from the designations, no matter how ridiculous they really are,”  
By the time class was over, Sam was confident that his students would question it the next time they saw a pretty, small omega’s anger silenced by an alpha pulling them into a forceful kiss. Within the hour, he had managed to explain the different stereotypes associated with each designation: feminine, quiet, and submissive for omegas, bold, manly, and dominant for alphas, and betas were expected to be both followers and leaders, smart but not too smart, somewhere in between the other two designations; how these showed up in media, with examples from popular movies, shows, and books; he’d even managed to start explaining the negative effects these tropes had in real, day-to-day life. He dismissed class after answering a few final questions and promising to explain more the next day. Sam made his way out of his room, taking his lunch with him to the teacher’s lounge. He hovered outside the doorway for a moment, unfounded worries of the other teacher’s being rude, or ignoring him, or treating him like a child because he was so young causing him to hesitate. He managed to dismiss them though, and entered the room, glancing around at his surroundings. It was a small space, with a few couches and tables, a coffee machine, and a fridge. None of the various teachers, standing in clumps and chatting noisily, one seemed to pay him any attention as he quickly made his way to an empty table and sat down. He carefully unwrapped the sandwich he’d made for himself, digging in hungrily. His head shot back up in surprise when someone plopped down next to him, and he quickly turned to see a pretty, young woman. She had a round face, dark eyes, and dark brown hair. She wore black jeans, a purple shirt, and a leather jacket. His first impression of her was that she did not look like someone who would be a teacher. A small sniff revealed to him that she was an alpha, and her animal form was some kind of snake. She seemed to notice his surprise, as she smiled and offered her hand.  
“Hey there. I’m Meg. You’re the new guy, right?” She asked, her voice slightly teasing but kind. “Don’t mean to be rude, but you look a little young to be a teacher. How’d you end up here, especially with the school year almost over?”  
“Hi, I’m Sam. I started working here on Tuesday, teaching designation studies. And I know I’m pretty young, but we just moved into the area and didn’t know anyone, so I thought I might as well get a job,” He answered, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding at her friendliness. “What about you? What do you teach?”  
“I know I don’t look it, but I’m a science teacher. Biology, to be specific. I get the privilege of teaching middle schoolers,” She emphasized her point with a mock shudder. “They’re fine, really, but more of a handful than some of the other students. If I hear another your mom joke, I think I might be sick,”  
“That sounds like it can get messy,” he answered, laughing softly, “ I’m lucky, I get the seniors, who are about my age, actually. I’m just glad that they listen to me,” Talking with Meg was easy, and he soon forgot his worries of the other teachers judging him as they spoke about their favorite students so far, and who caused trouble. All too soon, lunch was over, and Meg had more classes to teach. She bid him goodbye, and Sam was left to throw away the trash from his lunch and return home. On his way out, he paused in the bathroom, splashing some water on his face to wash off the remnants of the scent concealer. As much as it gave him confidence, he was determined to act just the same, even when his status was clear. He walked home quicker than usual, eager both to relax with his friends and to plan his class for the next day. The midday sunshine was relaxing as he walked down the empty street, a sense of calm washing over him. He was so calm, in fact, that he did not notice the alpha following him until it was too late. He’d just stepped into the alleyway that he used as a shortcut to their apartment when he noticed the footsteps behind him for the first time. He began to spin around, but it was too late, he was pinned roughly against the jagged stone wall. The scent of an unfamiliar alpha, sickly sweet and so strong he nearly choked on it, filled his nose and clouded his head. The alpha, a young, well dressed man, sneered in a way that filled Sam with a fear that came from his very core.  
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone?” He questioned, his voice heavy and dripping with threat.  
“Fuck off!” Sam growled, struggling against his grip. He was stronger than than this alpha, he was sure, but with the way he was pinned, he could hardly move.  
“Now, now. I don’t think that kind of language is necessary. Let’s keep you quiet, okay? Wouldn’t want anyone to come looking for you while we’re… busy,” The man said, removing one of the probably-worth-more-than-their-entire-apartment gloves and stuffing it into his mouth, before placing a hand across his lips as well. As he was pressed further into the wall, Sam began to realize just how serious the situation really was. Panic coursed through him, he struggled harder, to no avail, as the alpha leaned up to scent him. God, this was really happening. This alpha was going to keep him here, and his filthy hands were going to touch him, and he would drown in his disgusting scent, and he was going to be ra-  
Sam’s breathing grew shallow and ragged, and he really did feel like he was choking. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get away. He could only push weekly against the hand that trailed down his chest to rest on his hip, digging roughly against his skin. Suddenly, his mind was flooded with memories of forked tongues and dark eyes, the burning of his heat coursing through his veins, the piercing pain of teeth sinking into his neck. His fear turned quickly to terror, and he found himself looking for a chance, any chance, to get away. Finally as the alpha leaned forward, pressing his nose just below and breathing in deeply before pulling back, he saw his chance. He threw his head forward, clacking their skulls together. It hurt like a bitch, but he was prepared for it. The alpha didn’t have that luxury, and he reeled backwards from the pain and shock. At that, the fear in Sam snapped, turning razor-sharp, and he dived forward, kneeing him in the stomach. As the man doubled over, he took another step forward, slamming him against the opposite wall and hitting him viciously. His body ran on autopilot, his fists slamming into the man repeatedly as he realized that he was free from his grip. Though he beat him up pretty badly, he managed to tear himself away. He took a few shaky steps backwards. The man crumpled against the wall, bruised and bleeding.  
Sam didn’t remember how he got back to his apartment. He only remembered running, and seeing the blood on his own shaky hands. Then he was knocking heavily on the door, his school bags still slung messily over his shoulder. After a moment filled only with the sound of his own panting breath, the door swung open to reveal Gabriel. Sam only saw his expression of confusion and worry before he was fell like a rag doll into the room. The alpha managed to catch him, if only barely, and lifted him easily into the air.  
“Sam? What happened? Are you okay?” He asked, sounding slightly panicked. Sam tried to answer, but it still felt as though he was being strangled. He gasped in desperate mouthfuls of air, the few breaths he managed to get shallow and panicked. Now that he was no longer dazed, everything felt simply too real. His hands were shaking, his heart was pounding so hard in his chest it was painful, and he felt cold all over. All that came out of his mouth was a strange gurgling noise, and it occurred to him that he had to be dying. As Gabriel carried his shaking form to the couch and set him down gently, tears began streaming down his face, and his sobs made it even harder to breathe.  
“Sam, I need you to listen to me, okay? You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m here with you, I won’t leave you, I promise,” He said, talking in a quiet, soothing voice. He repeated over and over that he wouldn’t leave, that he was safe, and that he was going to be fine, he just had to breathe. Eventually, it seemed to start working, as the feeling of panic slowly went away, leaving him breathing heavily, jittery, and confused. He didn’t speak, instead focusing on how the shaking of his hands slowed down and eventually stopped. Still scared, he turned to the alpha, who was still kneeling by his side, though he’d stopped speaking.  
“Gabe? What was that? I thought I was going to die,” He asked, still shivering slightly.  
“You had a panic attack. You’re going to be fine, you just need to take it easy for a little bit,” He answered, still reassuring him. “Can you tell me what happened? Your hands are bloody,” The omega nodded shakily, breathing in and out deeply.  
“I was on my way home when I was cornered by some alpha in an alleyway. I got away before anything could happen, but I hurt him pretty badly. I don’t know why I’m so scared, he didn’t have time to do anything,” He admitted, shuddering from the memory. He saw the look of grim understanding on his friend’s face, and knew that he realized what a close call it had been.  
“I’m surprised you managed to get up here in one piece. Are you hurt?” Sam paused for a moment, shifting slightly to judge if any serious damage had been done.  
“Nothing too bad. My shoulders hurt, and I’m still having a little trouble breathing, but I’ll be fine,”  
“Alright. Let’s get you into bed, alright? You should rest for a while. I’ll bring you some water,” The alpha picked him up once more, carrying him like he was breakable into their room and helping him get settled into the bed. If he had been less out of it, he would have insisted that he was perfectly capable of walking, but he was occupied with keeping his breathing in check. As Gabriel returned, he managed to voice another worry that had occurred to him.  
“What if it happens again? What if I have a panic attack when I’m not at home? When I’m surrounded by strangers?” He asked, fear filling him at just the idea of being so vulnerable.  
“It won’t. I’ll be there to make sure you’re safe. And if I’m not, if you are really alone, I know you’ll get through it. It won’t be fun, I can tell you that much, but you’re strong enough. Trust me.” He answered, handing him the glass and watching to make sure he drank all of it. After a moment, Sam nodded, setting the water down on the nightstand. He hesitated, before scooting over in the bed, holding his arms out in an invitation for Gabriel to join him.  
“Stay with me?”  
“Of course. Whatever you need,” The alpha answered, curling up next him. Even if Sam was still too anxious to fall asleep, he managed to calm his racing mind, breathing in Gabriel’s pleasant scent deeply as he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I know it's been actual months since I updated. I don't even have a very valid excuse. School started again, and in between stress and focusing on talking to people on a daily basis, I had a lot less time to write. On top of that, I had some serious writer's block, and I was struggling to find inspiration for this story. I figured things out, mostly, and I will do my best to update again relatively soon, but I can't make any promises. I would really, really appreciate any positive comments or constructive criticism! Thanks a ton!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I updated, but I'm back now.

When Sam awoke, Gabriel was still curled protectively around him. For a moment, he felt safe and secure. Then the he noticed the ache in his wrists where he’d been gripped too tightly, and the soreness in his shoulder where it had hit the stone wall the day before. He shot up in the bed, breathing fast and shallow as memories of the day before flooded his mind. Before he had time to dwell on them, though, gentle hands were placed on either side of his face. The soothing touch calmed him instantly.  
“Sam? You okay?” Gabriel, whom he must have woken up, asked. The worry in his voice was obvious, and it helped drag Sam back to the real world fully.  
“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine,” He answered, shaking his head to clear it fully. The alpha nodded in response, letting go and standing up. Sam did the same, realizing that he was still in the uncomfortable clothes he’d worn the day before. He heard movement coming from the kitchen, and walked to the doorway to see Dean and Cas sitting in silence. As soon as he entered the room, they both stood, hurrying over to him.  
“What happened last night? When we got home, there was blood on the floor and-” Dean started, but he stopped abruptly when Gabe gave a tiny shake of his head behind Sam. The omega pretended not to notice.  
“Nothing important. I’m just going to take a shower.” Neither Dean nor Cas looked convinced, but they dropped the subject, for which he was thankful. He didn’t want to relive any of it. Didn’t want to remember the alpha pressing too close, didn’t want to remember his sickly sweet scent, didn’t want to remember the few moments where he’d felt truly powerless. He shook his head, chasing away the memories so he wouldn’t make his own heart race. It wasn’t only that he couldn’t stand to think about it. On top of that, he didn’t want to hear their sympathy and condolences. It made him feel helpless, even though Sam knew they were just trying to help and make him feel better. He trudged to the bathroom, removing his clothes and stepping into the warm water of the shower. Some of the tension seeped out of his sore shoulders, and he let out a sigh of relief. He was feeling strangely apathetic, as though his emotions had simply been shut off with the flick of an invisible switch. As soon as he’d turned the water off, the anxious murmurs of his friends in the kitchen filled the bathroom, making him pause. It was clear that they were trying not to let him hear, but what for? He quickly pulled on his clothes and crept to the door, barely able to understand what their hushed voices were saying.  
“We can’t let him see it, not so soon. He needs at least a little time to recover,” Urged Gabriel, and Sam’s curiosity only increased. What were his friends keeping from him?  
“He’ll find out eventually, so it’s best if he hears it from us. Besides, he deserves to know,” Dean replied, but before Gabriel could answer, Sam cut their conversation short by entering the room.  
“I deserve to know what?” They all glanced at each other nervously, before Castiel pushed a newspaper towards him which he hadn’t noticed previously. It was by a company he’d never seen before, Morningstar Daily, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. No, that was the picture of himself that went with the front page article “Unqualified Omega Allowed Teaching Position at Local High school”. The image was of him walking up to Purgatory High, his notes in hand. It had clearly only been taking a few days before. Not fully comprehending what he was seeing, Sam read on.  
“Recently, a barely of-age omega with no previous experience was appointed to a teaching position at Purgatory High School. Despite of his lack of experienced, Principal and alpha Jody Mills gave him a job, most likely out of sympathy, teaching “designation studies”. This made-up class is supposedly about teaching young shifters about the different designations. In our opinion, this class is completely unnecessary for a complete education, and could instill some very dangerous ideas in young shifters’ heads. It’s ridiculous that an omega would be considered for such an important job as teaching, where they would have so much influence over our children…” The article continued on for a while, but Sam stopped reading, feeling sick to his stomach. How could this have happened? How long had he been watched for? How had he not noticed that he was being photographed? There was so much information about his job, about his life, for all the world to see. He stared at the cover picture. When had it been taken? How many more pictures of him had been taken without his knowledge?  
“I looked Morningstar Daily up, and you’ll never believe who’s behind it,” Dean said, handing him his phone. On the screen was a picture of Lucifer, with a caption stating that he owned the company. Sam stood, pacing around the room anxiously. His heart felt like it was beating too fast, like a hummingbird had been trapped inside his ribcage. Would this cost him his job? It was just as bad of publicity for Jody as it was for him, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she decided he wasn’t worth it. He was their only real source of income at the moment, most of which they’d been giving to Sanctuary to help pay for the omegas’ care. They wouldn’t be able to feed them well without the money he was making. It was only that thought that reminded him he had a class that day, and he dashed over to the clock. He still had enough time to get to the building, but just barely. He explained the situation, grabbing his folder and sprinting out the door as fast as he could. He didn’t have any lesson plan, and he still felt disoriented and dizzy from reading the article, but he couldn’t risk missing work when his reputation was already so at stake.  
He made it to class at the very last minute, much to the surprise of his students, who were used to him already being present and composed when they entered the class. He managed to explain that they had a free block to do any homework that needed to be completed, while making it sound like it had been planned that way all along. His students obviously noticed that he wasn’t nearly as composed as usual, but none of them said anything. As he sat at his desk and shuffled through his papers, the sinking pit in his stomach grew heavier and heavier. Someone could be watching him at that very moment, tracking his every movement. It was more than likely that some of his students had read the newspaper. How many of them were wondering if he was qualified to teach them? Would they stop respecting him, stop coming to his class altogether? He’d felt like he’d gotten through to them the day before, but how much progress had he really made? What would the other teachers think of him? The clock above his desk seemed to be almost stuck in place, each shift of the hands taking hours. The endless tick-tick-ticking seemed to drone on and on, making him nervous and fidgety. Sam tried to focus on something, anything, else, but his trembling hands made it impossible for him to read the papers he heald. The silence of his room was slowly but surely smothering him.  
Somehow, the hour finally came to an end, after an eternity of staring at the plain wooden desk in front of him. The class dismissed and he hurried to the door, but he was paused by a student tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to see Kevin, a beta who seemed to take all of his classes very seriously. While most of the other kids had just messed around during the study hall, he’d been hard at work with unwavering concentration the whole time.  
“Mr. Winchester? I saw the newspaper this morning,” He said, and Sam’s heart dropped like a stone. Before he could say anything to defend himself, though, Kevin pushed on. “They only said you weren’t qualified because you’re an omega, I know it. I did some research, and 80% of alphas who become teachers do so with no previous experience, and most are around your age. No one would doubt their qualifications, and it would be nearly impossible for them to lose their jobs, no matter what they did. Here, look at this-” He pulled a pile of old newspapers from his bag, shoving them into Sam’s hands excitedly. A quick glance revealed that all the articles focused on alpha teachers who kept their jobs even after fighting with other teachers, treating betas and omegas unfairly, or taking advantage of students who went into heat during class.  
“None of them got any punishment, or were even fired from their jobs. So, it’s not fair if people are trying to say you’re not qualified. This is a class that we need to have; I’ve seen some of the alphas in this class starting to talk to their friends about not being assholes just because they can, and my omega friends aren’t as scared to stand up for themselves anymore. We’re learning stuff that will help us in the real world, no matter what we do for a living, and we need you to keep teaching us,” He finished, before glancing at his watch and rushing off after mumbling something about being late to his study group.  
Sam was left staring after him for a moment in the empty classroom. Then his face broke into a weak smile. At least he was making a difference for one person, and that was enough. He felt better, if only for a moment. He would keep teaching if he was able, not backing down. He had every right to be here, to have this job, and he would hold onto it as long as he could. The feeling of happiness didn’t last long, though.  
As he walked through the busy halls to the teacher’s lounge to eat lunch, he realized many of the other teachers were openly staring at him. Some were glaring as though he were something particularly foul, while others looked like they had seen a ghost, like they couldn’t even believe that he was real. None of them had given him a second glance before, but now they wouldn’t look away, even when he met their eyes and stared right back at them. He gave up on getting them to stop and watched the ground as he hurried to his destination, wishing that he had remembered to use scent concealer before coming to work. Not that it would have helped: all the other teachers would know who he was by the picture of him in the paper. As soon as he entered the teacher’s lounge, all conversation fell into a hush. People continued to stare as he walked over to the vending machine and bought a bag of chips. He resisted the urge to tell them to mind their own business, deciding he was on bad enough terms with them already. Soon enough, the silence was replaced, but instead of friendly conversation, whispers filled the air. Sam sighed, resigning himself to an uncomfortable lunch of trying desperately to ignore the murmuring and enjoy his chips.  
This plan was quickly thrown off, to his delight, by Meg practically throwing open the door and barging into the room, greeting each of her coworkers loudly on her way to where he sat. She plopped down in a seat next to him as the rest of the room staring after her.  
“Hey there, Sam! How’s your day been?” She exclaimed, and Sam beamed at her.  
“It’s been okay. You?”  
“Fine, as usual. I had to stop class because one kid hit another in the face over whose chair was whose. Not exactly unheard of in middle schoolers, but you don’t see it every day,”  
“Were they both okay?”  
“Yeah. 12 year-olds may be angry, but they don’t exactly pack a punch. There was another time, though, where a seventh grader had to go to the hospital…” Meg told him story after story about the antics of her classes, effectively distracting him from the judgement of the other teachers. At one point, she asked him about the article. When he said he didn’t feel like talking about it, she didn’t push for more information or make him feel guilty about not answering. Instead, she nodded in understanding before changing the subject to something a little lighter. By the time the lunch period was over, he was no longer thinking only about what the other teachers were saying about him. He was still nervous about their judgement and the fate of his career, but at least he knew that he wasn’t totally alone in the school. Another reminder of this was Jody stopping him on his way out the building. She asked if he’d like to meet with her tomorrow, and assured him that his job was secure, she just wanted to talk about the current situation a little bit. He agreed, thanking her before walking out into the warm spring air. Despite the relaxed atmosphere on his way home, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. Sam convinced himself that it was only his imagination and nerves getting the better of him because of the article, and continued walking. He worried that every stranger would recognize him and try to stop him, or that he would be attacked once more. He walked quickly, looking back every once in awhile to make sure he was not being followed. Sam made sure to go the long way to the apartment complex, avoiding the alley.  
The next day, he had enough time before his meeting with Jody to eat breakfast with his brother and friends in the morning. Dean, who had noticed his anxiousness, made pancakes and bacon for the group in what Sam knew was an attempt to get his mind off of his worries. His brother had always been a good cook, and this meal was certainly no exception. He dug into his food, pausing only to make a fake retching noise when a grumpy, just woken up Cas entered the room and kissed Dean good morning. He may have been happy for his brother and his mate, but it was still his job to be an annoying younger sibling. The alpha shot him a glare, but Dean seemed too pleased with himself to actually be bothered. Gabriel stumbled out of his room a few minutes later, yawning and pouring an unorthodox amount of syrup onto his own pancakes. They talked about little things until Castiel cleared his throat, getting their attention.  
“I found a possible job for myself. I sent in my application, and I’m being interviewed a week from today,” He announced, his voice serious, but there was obvious pride underneath.  
“That’s great! What’s the job?” Sam questioned, smiling widely. It was great to hear that he wouldn’t be the only one with a job; he only earned so much, and they were getting tired of mostly microwave food and rarely eating out.  
“If I got it, I would work at the library. The pay is alright, and omegas are allowed, though my designation means I will be in charge of reading stories to the children on top of other duties. This would be the opposite of a downside to me, as I would love to help them learn and develop an interest in reading,” The crow said, grinning happily.  
“Congrats, buddy! I’m sure you’ll get the job, then we’ll be rolling in cash,” Dean exclaimed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him to his side.  
“That reminds me, Sam, how is your career going?” Cas asked.  
“It’s going fine. Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, I actually made friends with one of my coworkers, Meg! She teaches biology to the middle schoolers, and she’s great,” He announced, then explained how she’d stepped in and talked to him when everyone else was gossiping about him. Then Sam told them about the meeting he had with Jody that he had a little later that day.  
“She said she’s not going to fire me, just to talk about what’s going on. Which makes sense, because the articles give her a bad name along with me. Some of the parents might threaten to take their kids out of class if they’re determined enough.”  
“I say she should go ahead and let them. If they aren’t willing to let their kids learn just because they’re ssexist assholes, that’s their problem,” Dean grumbled, stabbing a bite of pancake a little more aggressively than was probably necessary.  
“Yeah, I agree,” Gabriel chimed in, finally more awake after the maple syrup kicked in, “it isn’t worth firing anyone for a few spoiled kids and angry parents.”  
“I’m sure it’ll blow over as soon as the next news story comes in, then everyone will be talking about that instead,” Sam predicted, glad to know that he had the support of his friends. Even though he was sure that Jody wasn’t firing him, he had still been nervous about the meeting because he had no idea what to expect. He left the table to get ready for the meeting, not wanting to risk being late the second day in a row. Deciding to look at least a little bit professional, he wore the sweater vest that his friends had bought him when he got the job. He reached for the scent concealer, before stopping with his hands just inches from the bottle. He took a deep breath, then pulled his hand back.  
It didn’t take a long for him to reach the school. He still got a few stares from the other teachers on the way to the principal’s office, but he did his best to brush them off. He knocked on the door, pushing it open when he heard a “come in”. To his surprise, Jody, who was sitting in the same chair she had the first time he saw her, was not the only one in the room. A chubby, blonde, beta woman was leaning casually against the desk. The cheerful conversation the two had been having stopped, and they turned to face him.  
“Hey, Sam. Glad you could make it, feel free to sit anywhere. This my mate, Donna,” He shook Donna’s hand as she smiled warmly at him. “Sorry to make you come in on a day you don’t have to work, but I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. I read the newspapers, you know,” She explained, and Sam bowed his head sheepishly.  
“I’m sorry about the trouble. I know it’s bad publicity-” Sam started, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.  
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t have hired you if I wasn’t willing to put up with a little bit of backlash. You seem to be doing fine. I heard from Meg that you were handling things okay. As happy as I am to hear that, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I know you’re working the the organization Sanctuary, right?” He nodded, suddenly worried that he’d be asked to stop volunteering.  
“Donna works as a teacher at a preschool a few blocks from here. Her classes got out a few weeks ago, and I was thinking that some of the kids you work with could probably use an outing.” Sam stared for a moment, before grinning widely.  
“You’d let us take the omegas to your school? They’d love that!” He asked Donna, who looked just as excited as he felt.  
“Of course! It gets boring not having a class to teach over the summer, and I wanted to help out however I could! We have a playground, lots of toys, and plenty of activities. If it’s okay with the owners of Sanctuary, you could bring the kids over tomorrow?”  
“I’m sure we could. They have been getting bored, being in the same building for so long. We’ve been wanting to take them somewhere, but it’s hard finding a place where they’ll all feel safe. I’ll check with Charlie and Jo, and get back to you later tonight.”  
“That’s fantastic, we’re happy to have you all!” Donna exclaimed, clapping her hands together while Jody smiled. Sam worked out the details with them, before saying goodbye and starting the short walk home. Despite how he was happily anticipating telling his friends about the possible plans for the next, he still walked faster than necessary. Dusk was falling quickly, and he didn’t want to be caught walking alone at night. He tried to tell himself that he was being silly, but the rational part of his brain reminded him that, no matter how much of a capable fighter he was, he would be seen as vulnerable to anyone looking for a target. This could have made him sad, but it only made him determined instead. Sam didn’t want anyone else to have to feel the way he did. He didn’t want anyone to be scared because of who they were, or be attacked because of something they didn’t choose, or not be seen as capable. He clenched his fist tightly as he walked, deciding right then and there that he wouldn’t give up on helping people, on changing the future for omegas like him.  
That night, as they helped make the group meal for Sanctuary, he told the others about Donna’s offer. Jo and Charlie said yes right away, agreeing that the kids were growing restless and desperately needed some fresh air. After the conversation died down at the dinner table a little later, Sam made the announcement, and was immensely pleased by the kids’ reactions. They clapped and laughed, and the younger kids started excitedly talking with their friends and making plans. Castiel happily asked if he could practice reading them stories, which Sam said he probably could. For the rest of the night, it was all the omegas spoke about, they were looking forward to it so much. Even as he spoke to Charlie about the time they would come over the next day, the young girl hoisted in Sam’s arms was explaining to her friend on the ground that coloring at the preschool would be amazing because of how many colors of maeker they must have. The omegas’ excitement was enough to lift his spirits sky high, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.  
He woke up early the next day, anticipation making the whole apartment buzz with energy. Everyone else was awake within a few minutes, hurrying to eat and get ready so that they would have plenty of time to walk to the preschool. They met up with the group at Sanctuary, before starting the trek through the town. Sam couldn’t help but think of a flock of ducklings as he did his best to keep any of the kids from lagging behind. He wound up in the back of the group next to Gabriel, who had been smiling pretty much the entire morning.  
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” He asked.  
“Happy to get out and do something. It’s not just these guys who’ve hardly left the house lately. Plus, I’m happy about Cassie maybe finding a job. It finally feels like we’re making progress, you know?” Gabe replied, shrugging his shoulders.  
“I know exactly what you mean. I’m mostly just excited to be able to play with the kids, they seem so happy.” He gestured to the clump of children, who were watching around the world around them like every little thing was made of pure magic. They were so thrilled by every little thing: the signs outside of shops, the birds chirping and flitting between the trees, and even the shifters that passed them every once in awhile. It reminded him just how much time they had spent underground, without seeing the light of day for so, so long. Despite this gloomy thought, the day was too bright, and too full of joy, for his spirits to be brought down for long. He chatted with Gabriel pleasantly, thankful for the alpha’s company and sense of humor to brighten his mood even further. The alpha talked about trying to find a job himself, so that he would be able to get out of the house and they would have more money to fund sanctuary. He asked Sam more about his own job, and listened intently as he spoke about what he planned to teach before the year was over, and all the plans he had for the next year. He hung on every word, giving advice occasionally and complementing the parts he particularly liked.  
They reached the preschool in what seemed like no time at all, Donna and Jody greeting them enthusiastically and ushering them into the bright building. The interior was just as cheery, with pastel chairs and drawings all over the walls, not to mention the wide assortment of colorful toys scattered around. There were little desks with coloring books and markers, and a squat shelf filled with children’s books in the corner. A door lead outside, cracked open to reveal a glimpse of a vivid playground by a little patch of grass.  
The omegas rushed in all directions, yelling happily. Sam followed a group outside to keep an eye on them, leaving his friends to introduce themselves to Jody and Donna. The older kids were just as excited and animated as the younger ones, happy to sit in the grass and talk or play along with the little kids to entertain them. There wasn’t much to do in the way of keeping them out of trouble; they were well behaved kids, and he only had to intervene once, when a boy tried to climb to the very top of the jungle gym and couldn’t get down. After he’d set the kid safely back on the ground, he turned to see Gabriel, wearing a frilly pink tutu, chasing after a group of kids who were laughing maniacally as they clambered through the playground. He felt a pang in his heart at the sight, astonished by just how good the alpha was with children and reminded of just how much he was falling for him, no matter how hopeless his feelings were.  
“What are you looking at?” He jumped at the sound of Castiel’s voice, turning to see the other omega with a look on his face that said he knew exactly what had Sam’s attention.  
“Uh, not anything, really. Just uh… staring at nothing?” He lied, but even he knew it wasn’t convincing.  
“Oh, I didn’t know that my brother was going by Nothing now, he should have told me,” Cas was downright smirking now, and Sam gave up on trying to lie.  
“Look, I know I don’t have a chance with him. I wouldn’t dream of trying anything.”  
“Why not? I think that you would make a very nice pair. Gabriel may be… irritating, to say the least, but he’s a surprisingly good person,” Castiel stated, still wearing that smug expression.  
“I don’t know… I’ve never had a mate before, and I’d be afraid of messing it up. Also, stop making that face,”  
“I don’t think I will. Maybe I’ll have to tell Dean about your feelings, if he asks me about my expression, of course,” Cas teased, and Sam felt his face heat up.  
“Oh, don’t you dare-” He urged his friend, before Gabriel sidled up to them.  
“I think I’ll go practice reading to the the children,” the omega said, before walking away and not-so-subtly winking at Sam from behind Gabe’s back. He stuck his tongue out at the other omega, before turning to a now very confused alpha.  
“What was all that about?” Gabe questioned, and Sam shrugged.  
“No idea. How’re the kids doing?”  
“They’re having a great time! I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so happy and relaxed. This was a really good idea.”  
“Well, we have Jody and Donna to thank for that. I only helped work out the details. But you’re right, I’m glad we could come. I love the tutu by the way.” The alpha glanced down, seeming to have forgotten that he was wearing it for a moment.  
“Oh yeah, it’s the absolute height of fashion, haven’t you heard?” He said in a pompous voice, tossing his hair dramatically. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, some little girls need a princess to save from a tower.” The alpha bowed, before dashing off once more. Sam smiled fondly, before heading back inside to check on how things were going there. He picked his way through piles of toys and laughing children, pausing to see Cas reading Little Red Riding Hood to a group of enraptured kids, while Dean watched him. He paid special attention to the look on his brother’s face; it was as though his mate was every star in the sky, every wave in the sea, every single beautiful place in the entire world, wrapped in a wonderfully imperfect bow. Sam smiled to himself, leaving Dean in his own little universe and visiting the kids at the art table.  
When it was time to go back to Sanctuary in the evening, all of the omega children were so worn out and happy from a whole day of playing that they barely resisted leaving the preschool. The only time they’d stopped playing during the whole day was to eat lunch, and most of the kids had scarfed their food down as fast as possible so they could continue with their games. The walk back was filled with just as much amazement, though, as the kids gazed at the cloudless, starry sky. When they got back to the building, though, all amazement was forgotten in the sleepy rush to go to bed. Sam thanked Charlie and Jo once more, before promising to come help out again soon and bidding them goodbye. Once back in the comfort of their apartment, he himself only had enough energy to eat a granola bar and change into his pajamas before he flopped face first onto his bed, falling asleep within minutes. He might not have been running around as much as the kids had, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t exhausted. It had been a great, if tiring day.  
It was only a shame that the greatness couldn’t last. It was blown away over the next morning’s cereal with the arrival of that day’s Morningstar Daily paper. They had gotten a subscription so that they could watch out for any other articles that would affect them, and for that Sam was incredibly thankful. It took only one glance at the cover to know what today’s article attacked: Sanctuary itself. His heart only sank further as he read the article. It was full of misinformation, insults towards omegas, and many attempts to make the organization sound erratic and unorganized. At one point, it even went so far as to call the rescued omegas kidnapped from “happy homes” to be raised for anti-alpha motives. It was so ridiculous Sam couldn’t believe that anyone with a brain would buy it, but knowing society, chances were that Sanctuary would be receiving some very angry letters, especially as the address was included in the paper, along with Charlie and Jo’s names. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. The worst parts were the claims of unsafe treatment of children, that they weren’t being fed or taken care of properly. In between the actual problems, had they been true, “teaching omegas to defy their own nature” was somehow slipped in. At that point, Sam had seen more than enough, and he tossed the newspaper down onto the table with disgust.  
“You realize this could cause serious problems, right? They could get sued, and who knows what would happen to the kids,” Dean said, the worry evident on his face.  
“We have to do something. Something that will prove that Lucifer’s not to be trusted and that we’re innocent. He’ll keep doing this, keep publishing worse and worse stories until he’s ruined everything. We have to stop him, and we have to do it now,” Sam urged, realizing just how dire the situation. If they weren’t able to stop Lucifer, he’d keep taking from them until there was nothing left, and all they’d worked for was gone.  
“His address is right here… he must be awfully sure that no one will risk acting against him,” Castiel added, flipping through the paper.  
“If there was some way that we could prove that he’s making this all up, and that he’s responsible for kidnapping omegas all over the country… there’d be an outrage. Even if people have known that it’s been happening for decades, they won’t say anything until it’s proven to the public. Then they’ll say that they can’t believe something like this was allowed to happen. It’s not fair, but it’s better late than never,” Gabriel reported, and Dean stood up suddenly, realization on his face.  
“It would be hard… but there’s a chance we could do it…” He began, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “If some of us could get Lucifer talking, to get him to admit what he’s done, the others could bring the police and have them record and verify it. That way, we would have proof, and backup in case things escalate,” Sam stood up as well, pacing. It was risky, and he wished they had more time to prepare, but they had to take action as soon as possible. His heart was racing with nervous adrenaline as it occurred to him that they just might be able to do this.  
“He seemed most interested in me and Gabe-we can try and talk to him while you go to the police station,” Sam suggested, looking around at his friends- no, Castiel and Gabriel had become his family. Not to mention, he was closer to Dean than he had ever been before. This was his family, along with Charlie, Jo, and the omega kids they had to protect. He would do anything to protect his family. With this thought, he sprung into action, getting dressed as the rest of the group prepared around him. All too soon, they were ready to go. Dean and Cas left first, so that they would have enough time to get to the police. As he was about to step out the door, his heart hammering in his chest, he was stopped by Gabriel pulling him aside.  
“Sam, I don’t know what’s about to happen. This could go perfectly, or everything could go terribly wrong. Because this might be my last chance, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, I just haven’t had the courage. Sam, I think I-” He stopped suddenly, shaking his head. “We need to go.” And before Sam had time to process his words, he was being dragged through the city, directly towards danger. Towards Lucifer Morningstar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's only one chapter left, which I'm hoping to post in the next few weeks. Please comment if you enjoyed, and thanks for having patience with me! P.S. Can you tell that I really love Meg? Because I do.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I actually managed to get this out when I said I would! It's a little shorter than some of my other chapters, but I felt like it was all that was needed at this point.

Sam raced through the streets after Gabriel, shifting into his wolf form to to keep up. A few seconds later, the alpha’s wings sprouted from his back, and he took to the air, wheeling above the tall office buildings. The early morning sunlight streamed weakly onto the empty sidewalks. Sam’s heart was racing as he turned street corners and sprinted through the maze of buildings, but he couldn’t tell if it was from nervousness, excitement, or a mixture of the two. This was really happening. They were going to infiltrate Lucifer’s house and hopefully expose him for what he was, with only a loosely-built plan and hope. It was dangerous and impulsive, but it was too late to go back now. He didn’t have much time to think about all the things that could go horribly wrong, however, because it was too late; the house was before them.  
There was a high railing surrounding the entirety of the large gray house. It was almost a mansion, with it’s huge size and expansive, perfectly maintained lawn. Even though they were in a neighborhood of fancies houses and perfect yards, this one stood out as particularly grand. The columns spiraling from the front porch were shining, and the windows were so spotless it almost looked as though they weren’t even there. Every aspect of the well-kept house was meant to exhibit wealth and power, and it pulled it off effortlessly. A winding path lead through the garden to a massive oak front door, an ornate silver knocker fastened to the wood. It was almost too nice, and Sam knew the grandeur was far from the despair and neglect of what lay deep beneath the expansive building.  
He shifted back into his human form before climbing over the fence, glancing around to make sure they remained unseen as Gabriel landed beside him on the lawn. It was early enough that there none of the neighbors were out, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. They walked silently towards the house, a foreboding feeling falling over Sam as the building loomed, tall and colorless, over them. He stepped carefully onto the porch, pulling out a bobby pin to pick the lock, only to find already open. He took a deep breath before opening the door and making his way inside, stopping to take in the front room. The interior was just as extravagant as the outside, with carpet of a deep, rich red and polished wood furniture that looked more expensive than every apartment in their building combined. The room was filled with a silence so thick he felt that he could choke on it, and Sam hardly dared to move for fear of disrupting the quiet.  
Gabriel nudged his shoulder, urging him to keep moving. He nodded in response, taking out his phone, opening his camera, and starting to record before carefully placing it into his back pocket and creeping further into the building. Even the hallway was beautifully decorated and incredibly clean. At one point, they both froze for a moment, standing inches away from an unmarked black door. The familiar scent of cold metal and fear hung in the air, poorly masked by a thin perfume of candles and floor cleaner. Sam put his ear to the door, feeling sick to his stomach when he heard the faint sound of muffled crying coming from deep within. He wanted to go in, wanted to help the omegas who were surely trapped inside, but he knew he couldn’t risk the security of their mission. They could only keep Lucifer talking for so long, and they need to be prepared when Dean and Cas, who were probably on their way to the house, arrived. The timing had to be perfect, or all of their hard work would be for nothing. He reminded himself that, if all went according to plan, they would be able to rescue everyone safely later, when things had calmed down.  
Soon enough, they reached another closed door at the end of the hall, with the same smell as before, but this time mixed with alpha. A gold plaque on the door read Lucifer Morningstar. Sam took a deep breath, nodding at Gabriel before slowly pushing open the door. The room, which was much smaller than any of the rooms they had seen before, was mostly empty. The only pieces of furniture were a large desk, and a single chair tucked behind it and facing away from them. In the chair sat Lucifer, who turned to face the pair the moment they entered. He looked surprised for a split second, before his face was a blank mask once more.  
“Sam, Gabriel. I was wondering when we’d meet again, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. You’ll have to forgive the fact that I didn’t have anyone sent to… greet you, I wasn’t prepared for guests,” He leered, climbing to his feet as he spoke. Instinctively, Sam rose to his full height and squared his shoulders in an open challenge. Gabriel did the same beside him, but the opposing alpha didn’t take the bait. Instead, he continued speaking as though nothing had happened, his tone far too casual for the tension in the air.  
“I assume you saw my articles. We are quite a popular newspaper, of course, with influence all over the country. What did you think? Personally, I believe it’s some of my best work,”  
“You can’t just write about us without permission! That has to be illegal, especially if what you’re saying isn’t true!” Sam said, his voice rising dangerously, but he managed to control his tone so as not to escalate the situation any more. They had to bide their time until Dean and Cas were there, he reminded himself, shifting anxiously from foot to foot.  
“Oh, but I can. I am an alpha, after all, and one with more money than you can even dream of. No one will listen to you, no matter how hard you try, simply because you’re up against someone like me. Most of this city is under my control already, and powerful figures throughout America listen to what I have to say. You see, many of them are frequent buyers of our… products and services.”  
“So you sell them omegas to be used as objects, and they owe you for it?” He asked, feeling Gabriel tense beside him.  
“There’s quite a lot of money involved, too, but that is part of the deal. They get all the fully trained, docile omegas as they want, for the right price, as long as I have their protection in the future.” The opposing alpha took a step forward, smiling menacingly. “I’ve built my very own empire! I came from nothing, had nothing, and look where I am now!” He exclaimed, gesturing to to the mansion around him. “I created the perfect system: take the unwanted omegas, the ones no one will miss, force them to accept their place in the world, and sell them to any alpha who offers the right price! Needless to say, there have been… setbacks every now and then, with police discovering the bodies of the ones who refused to follow our rules, or the occasional breakout, but it’s been a complete success overall. No one has been able to stop my empire, and it’s right beneath their feet! Of course, nearly everyone knows or suspects that it’s happening, but without proof, nothing can be done! I have CEOs and senators at my command, powerless to speak out or risk exposing their connections to my business!” Lucifer sounded almost maniac now, the smile on his face unsettlingly triumphant.  
“Even if I revealed the truth to the world, if I explained exactly what we put our omegas through, no one would care!” He laughed, throwing his head back, “You’re completely worthless, and they all know it! Just whiny little bitches who need to learn your place! Really, what we do is just help you to accept your true nature, accept that you are less than any alpha. Teach you how to cook and clean, how to submit, how to be the perfect little fucktoy and wife for anyone. You’re practically made to be nothing more than objects! No matter how much you try to deny it, it’s a part of your nature! You only need to accept your instincts to understand. And you know what? The omegas I train, they thank me! Thank me for teaching them how to actually be worth something, for giving their life a purpose!” He laughed, and Sam felt hot anger build inside of him. For a moment, he was dragged out of the room and into the past.  
He was in the car, driving home from a meeting with his fourth grade teacher, when his dad hit him for the tears streaming down his face. Then it was the locker room after gym class in highschool, changing quietly while a group of alpha boys joked about what they’d like to do to the omegas in their class, laughing at the idea of them saying no when “they really wanted it”. Then he was eighteen, standing in the living room as he submit to the father who hated him. Sam remembered all the times since that moment when he’d walked faster at night, kept his head down when talking, or flinched at the slightest hint of aggression from an alpha. Every time he’d doubted his own worth, every single disgusting comment he’d heard, all of the anger built inside of him until he couldn’t contain it any more.  
He lunged forward with a growl, taking Lucifer completely by surprise when his fist collided with his face. He stumbled backwards for a moment, clutching his bleeding nose, and the room was frozen for a moment. Light trickled in through the massive window behind the desk, and dust particles swirled through the ray of sun, changing direction with every draft of air. Then the alpha flared his wings, time unfroze, and Sam stepped back just in time to avoid the force of the blow. Gabriel took to the air, diving at Lucifer from behind to kick him in the head. The alpha twisted around at the last second and caught his foot, throwing him to the ground. Sam darted forwards once more, but was knocked backwards for a moment before Lucifer was caught off guard by Gabe hitting him in the back. While he was distracted, Sam managed to rake his claws across Lucifer’s shoulders, leaving deep, bloody marks before he was thrown to the floor. He landed heavily, watching as his friend was knocked over as well. Even through the blood smeared across his face, the pure hatred in Lucifer’s eyes was obvious. As he advanced slowly on Sam, fist raised, the omega knew he had to act quickly. He shot up from the ground, and, before the alpha could react, got close enough to wrap his hands around his throat. His heart was beating wildly in his chest from fear and adrenaline as he forced Lucifer against the wall, desperate to keep him from attacking. He couldn’t let himself be hurt again. Couldn’t let his friends suffer because of this man who could take everything from him. He realized numbly that he was in his half-form, tail flicking behind him, teeth sharpened to fangs within his mouth, with the claws pressing into the other shifter’s throat drawing blood.  
“How can you call us weak, when you’re only able to have power through fear? We need to embrace our natural instincts, huh? I’ll show you instincts,” He spat, tearing his claws across the alpha’s face with one hand, while pressing harder against his throat with the other. For a second, listening to the choked sounds coming from Lucifer, the image of the light fading from the alpha’s eyes filled his mind, and he pressed harder. He was so caught up in the thought that he almost didn’t notice when Castiel, followed closely by Dean and a squad of armed police officers, crashed into the room. The group surrounded them, and one officer ordered him to step back. He heard him speak, but it seemed as the words passed right through him without registering. He didn’t move, instead relishing in the way that Lucifer’s garbled breaths were becoming thinner and thinner. Sam only snapped out of his trance when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and turned to see Gabriel meeting his gaze.  
“Sam, don’t,” he urged, and the omega was struck by just how far it was from an order. Gabe was asking him to let it go, but in the end, it was his choice. “You don’t have to. We’ve done enough. It’s over now,” He continued, gently pulling him to the edge of the room as the cops rushed to grab Lucifer. When he still didn’t respond or break out of his daze, the alpha stepped closer and placed a hand on the side of his face, took a deep breath as though to calm himself, and-  
And he kissed Sam.  
His whole world seemed to snap into focus in the blink of an eye, and he tensed up for a moment before relaxing and melting into the gentle kiss. It was soft and sweet, and he felt as though they were the only two people who mattered for a few seconds. It was over too soon when they pulled apart. He stared at the alpha, hardly believing what had just happened.  
“That’s what I wanted to tell you before. I love you, Sam Winchester. I don’t know if you feel the same way, and I’ll respect your wishes if you don’t, but I just couldn’t keep-” But before the alpha could finish, Sam cut him off by pulling him into a tight hug.  
“Of course I feel the same! I thought you were the one who wouldn’t think of me like that!” He laughed, feeling perfectly safe and content even in Gabriel’s arms, even with the chaos happening all around them. Everything was going to be okay. There would be no more wondering when he was being watched, no more worrying that he was going to lose his job, and no more articles.  
“Hey, you guys should come see this!” Dean called, pulling him away from his thoughts of Gabriel and across the room. His brother was standing behind Lucifer’s desk, holding a small slip of paper in one hand.  
“What’s that?” Sam asked, taking it from him to get a better look. It was list of names, some of which he recognized as well known government officials or public figures.  
“I think it might be a list of his clients, and I don’t mean the ones who bought his newspaper. Some of these guys are pretty important, imagine what would happen if everyone knew they were involved with this?” Dean answered. Sam paused, an idea beginning to form in the back of his mind. Well, maybe they would have to publish just one more article, to prove a point to the world.

Prologue  
Bright sunlight shone down on the sidewalk as Sam Winchester hurried home after finishing class on one particularly nice Friday afternoon. He had to keep himself from sprinting, he was so excited to get their new home. Today was the day that he, Dean, Cas, and Gabriel would be moving into a house of their very own. It had taken a year of hard work and saving, but they had finally earned the money they needed to buy a little place that seemed absolutely perfect. It was small, and needed some work, but it would belong completely and only to them. There were two floors, not including the dusty, cramped attic, with a little garden in the back, and it was only a few blocks away from Sanctuary’s newly expanded building. Normally, he would have stopped in to say hi to Charlie and Jo on the way home, as well as the group of new employees and volunteers who had joined their team, but today he rushed by the large, spotless building, only pausing to wave at the omegas playing on the brightly-colored playground at the side as he passed.  
With how fast his pace was, it didn’t take him long to reach their new house, where the moving truck and his friends already waited. The little white home looked just how he remembered from when they last visited: the front yard was filled with a weeds and untrimmed grass, with a few vines creeping up the walls; the little, paint-chipped fence with a broken gate separated them from the neighbors on one side and the street on the other; and through a second-floor window, he could see the room that he and Gabriel had claimed for themselves, with a few pieces of furniture already set up inside. Sam smiled brightly to himself, grabbing a box from the back of the truck and hauling it up the little brick path and into the house. Inside, he yelled a hello to Dean, who seemed to be fussing over Cas for no reason, along with Charlie, Jo, and Ellen Harvelle, Jo’s mom who had started helping out with sanctuary a few months back. They had offered to pitch in and help them move in, for which he was incredibly thankful. Despite how small their apartment had been, they’d managed to cram as much stuff into it as was physically possible, and it would have been more than a pain to move it all on their own. He lifted his box, which was full of some of his favorite books, up the stairs and to his new room.  
Sam stopped in the doorway, watching as Gabriel pulled books and movies out of the boxes by his feet, pausing to read the cover of each one before carefully placing it onto the shelf. The alpha hadn’t noticed him yet, and his heart almost hurt with fondness as he watched the scene before him, Gabe’s brow scrunched in concentration as he worked. He absentmindedly reached up and touched the mating bite where his neck met his shoulder, letting out a content sigh. His mate, realizing he was there, turned and grinned at him, eyebrows raised.  
“Glad to see you’re finally here. Here, come help me decide if these should be organized by height or author.”  
With all of all them working together, it didn’t take long for the group to move all of their stuff inside and get all the essentials unpacked. The whole ordeal was filled with talk and laughter, and Sam was thankful that nothing was broken in the process. Once they were finished, everyone crowded into their new kitchen all Dean made them all a dinner of hamburgers, fries, and (only at Sam’s insistence) a small salad. The food, as always, was delicious, and there was little conversation until everyone had eaten their fill.  
“I wonder what we’ll do with the extra bedroom?” Sam asked, thinking of the barren room that’s only current purpose was serving as a storage room for all of their unpacked belongings.  
“I think I have an idea!” Dean chimed in eagerly, moving so he was standing behind Cas with his hands wrapped around the omega.  
“Well, what is it?” Gabriel questioned, looking at the pair somewhat suspiciously.  
Cas glanced at Dean, before turning to the group with a smile so wide that it crinkled the skin around his eyes. “We were thinking it could be a nursery, since we’re going to need one soon.” The room froze in silence for a moment, before it was filled with yelling.  
“You don’t mean-”  
“Really?”  
“You’re pregnant? For real?”  
“How long have you known?”  
“How far along are you?””  
“Congratulations!” Castiel somehow managed to get them all to be quiet after a while so he could answer the flood of questions without having to shout.  
“Yes, I’m expecting,” he confirmed, beaming widely. “I’m a little over a month along, but we didn’t know until just earlier this week. We wanted to keep it a secret for a little while longer, but this seemed like the perfect time to make the announcement.”  
Sam didn’t even remember standing up, but then he was hugging his brother and his friend, grinning.  
“You’re going to have a baby! You’re really going to have a baby!” He exclaimed, tears of happiness making his vision blur. Everyone joined them in a group hug, talking and laughing. He was completely surrounded by his friends and family, and he felt nearly overwhelmed with their happiness and hope.  
Later that night, when Charlie, Jo, and Ellen had left and the the excitement had settled down a little, he sat by himself on the back porch of their new home, watching the sun set and the stars emerge from the blanket of darkness. Despite the beautiful night sky, his mind was elsewhere, on the past and the future. It felt like so much had happened in the last year: from the flood of support Sanctuary received after Lucifer was exposed, to all of the well-off, powerful alphas who’d been booted from their positions because they worked with Lucifer, to even just Dean, Cas, and Gabriel all finding jobs they loved. Thousands of omegas had been freed from their training or owners, and shelters like Sanctuary sprang up all over the country to accommodate them, along with omega-rights movements. Designation studies had even become a mandatory class at Purgatory High, complete with tests, homework, and grades to motivate the students to take it as seriously as their other courses. He was at the school basically everyday, but he didn’t mind, because it was so clear that he was making a difference.  
Their future seemed even brighter, if that was even possible. There was still so much to be done, so far to go, but he knew that, one day, they would get there. He knew it would take time for things to get better, and that he wouldn’t be around for every victory, but things change really was coming. Already, he was congratulated on his job, not scoffed at just for trying to have a career. Charlie and Jo were able to help so, so many more omegas than before, with the support of volunteers and sponsors who had been nonexistent beforehand. And Castiel and Dean’s baby would be born in a world where, no matter the designation, they would have a safer childhood than he did. He was with his family, with his friends, with his mate, and the future was only getting brighter and brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's the end! I'm so thankful to everyone who's stuck with this, thank you all so much! My writing has improved a ton throughout writing this, and I've learned a lot. Leave a comment telling me what you thought, or if you have any questions! Again, thank you all so, so much, and have a great day!


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